Henry Pollock is one of the most divisive characters in rugby and will come up against Wales this weekend in the Six Nations
Henry Pollock gave a surprise answer after being asked about Gavin Henson(Image: RugbyJoe)
Wales face England in the Six Nations today, with Steve Tandy’s Cymru looking for revenge after being battered by the old enemy in Cardiff last year.
England seem to be building something special under Steve Borthwick and are looking increasingly likely that they will trouble the world’s best nations at the next World Cup. There has been a flurry of breakthrough talent in recent years with the likes of Cardiff-born Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Tommy Freeman and Henry Pollock leading the charge for the next generation.
Pollock has been something of a golden gem for rugby itself in the last 12 months. Whether you love him or hate him, the back-row star is box office and is helping draw new eyes to the sport.
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Last year, Pollock made his Test debut against Wales in the Six Nations, helping his nation secure a famous 68-14 victory at the Principality Stadium. This year it’s a repeat, but on home turf at Allianz Stadium.
He comes into this fixture not only with a year of Test rugby under his belt, but a British and Irish Lions tour, with the iconic side beating Australia last summer. Here, WalesOnline takes a closer look at the man of the moment.
Who’s Gavin Henson?
In the build-up to the Test series against the Wallabies, Pollock was the subject of a quick fire interview about former players. He was shown a picture of legendary Lions and asked by RugbyJoe to name them – a tough task considering he was only 20 at the time of filming.
He started strong, naming Shane Williams with ease. However, when it came to Welsh icon Gavin Henson, Pollock said: “I don’t know who that is. Sorry, I don’t know who that is.” The RugbyJoe interviewer seemed as blown away as some viewers, exclaiming: “Gavin Henson!” Before Pollock replied: “Gavin Henson? Never heard of him.”
This shocked Welsh rugby fans and the rugby community in general. Henson, at the peak of his powers, was one of the most famous and talented sportspeople in the UK, often referred to as the David Beckham of rugby. He’s renowned for his performance against England in the 2005 Grand Slam year – perhaps the finest ever Six Nations performance.
Henson’s kick won the match against England(Image: Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
Cup final drama
Pollock and Saints made the Champions Cup final against Bordeaux-Begles last season, with the latter ultimately lifting the silverware. Pollock had been central to their run but tensions boiled over after the final whistle involving a former French Six Nations star.
Jefferson Poirot of Bordeaux grabbed Pollock by the throat, subsequently receiving a two-game ban for his actions. Describing the incident on TNT Sports’ Rugby Breakdown show, Pollock said: “The whistle goes, and obviously it’s pretty heated. I think Dingers [Fraser Dingwall] and Jailbert were pushing and shoving.
Henry Pollock gets stuck in with Jefferson Poirot(Image: Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
“I went over to Jalibert, pushed him and got involved and was like: ‘I’m not letting Dingers be on his own here.’ “And then as I’m doing this – I didn’t know this in the moment, Fin [Smith] was looking around – apparently the loosehead [Poirot] was on the bench and beelined it straight to me.”
Pollock went on: “So we’re in this, and he basically grabs my neck and gets his hands on my throat and squeezes my neck. I wasn’t happy with this, I was pretty angry. I managed to rip his shirt, and then the bit that you see is as he turns away, I push him, and then his friend comes in. We had to do statements after. It was mad, you’ve just won the Champions Cup and the first thing you want to do is run on and strangle a 20-year-old.”
Lip-licking haka
In another moment that attracted huge attention, Pollock fronted up to the haka alongside his team-mates in the autumn with a peculiar response.
Pollock’s lip-licking moment(Image: TNT Sports)
England welcomed New Zealand to London and were the less-fancied side going into the clash. England produced a hugely iconic response in the 2019 World Cup, forming a V-shape with a smiling Owen Farrell before beating them and making it to the final.
Pollock decided to lick his lips when the cameras were trained firmly on him, making for interesting viewing. He and his teammates would also assume a V-shape formation. England went on to beat New Zealand in an extraordinary result.