Inside the journey of Henry Pollock’s rise to the Lions alongside the opinions of Rugby Legends
The meteoric rise of 20 year old Henry Pollock has taken the sporting world by storm, the story of a young boy who four years ago was still in school and has suddenly been selected for the most prestigious team in the world of rugby, but how did this happen?
To find out two former Lions’ players were interviewed asking them how Henry will cope under pressure and how he’ll cope with being in the Lions’ squad. To understand this, we asked Michael Owen (former captain of the Lions and head of sport at Haileybury), Tyrone Howe (Irish and Lions winger and head of Shiplake) and his former coach, Grant Seely, about his path to glory.
How did it start, it all started at Stowe when a young Henry Pollock had a passion for rugby alongside five of his friends who also received professional contracts ‘They all pushed each other and were always doing extra sessions or working hard in the gym to push themselves.’ However, what many people didn’t realise is how he only took rugby in his stride four short years ago which pushed him alongside his team to win the Rosslyn Park sevens in 2022. But why has he become a such a talented player? His former Stowe coach stated, ‘Henry has a huge amount of self-belief; he comes from a naturally “sporty family” and rugby is a game where he can express himself. He has an incredible amount of confidence- his ability to not be fazed by his 1st England appearance where he scored 2 tries v Wales says it all. He obviously works very hard and makes sacrifices so that he is at the top of his game- looking after his physical conditioning so he can perform week after week’.
Where it all started. As previously mentioned, he went to the school of Stowe where he rounded and polished his skills but where else played a massive role in his success? The rugby club “Northampton Saints” which Henry plays for has had massive success this season beating the likes of Leinster in the Heineken cup (which according to many is the Champions’ League of rugby) which according to former Irish and Lion’s winger Tyrone Howe would gain masses amount of respect from the Irish players with him currently in the Lions camp. In our interviews with Michael Owen and Tyrone Howe, we asked them a few questions about him and to sum him up in a couple of words. Michael said that he was ‘confident and decisive’ which compliments what he expresses on the pitch along with Tyrone Howe describing him as a ‘game changer’ and comparing him to Dupont who is regarded by many as the best in the world. Furthermore, Howe also explained that the Aussies will be in Pollock’s face and that it will stir up some controversy for the journalists to write about.
After all of that you would probably believe that he should start for the Lions however some critics are not so sure which just represents how challenging just getting into the squad is. Owen isn’t so sure about the competition in the back row and if he will start ‘no, but he could be good off the bench’ Owen said when questioned about the starting 15. To further back up this claim we asked Tyrone Howe who agreed but was indecisive about the decision and if Andy Farrell has preferences ‘Andy Farrell has pretty, pretty firm ideas about what he wants and about how he wants to play. So, it’ll also depend what Farrell wants.’ This shows how the selection as well as challenging isn’t just about skill and is more about the style of play and how it will fit within Farrell’s system.
There is no doubt that Henry’s mentality and determination is a large reason for his success but how will he cope around people from different countries who he’s never met before? Tyrone believes that one of the reasons Pollock was picked is because of his ability to cope with pressure and that’s just his personality which is what the Lions are looking for in the future. There is now no doubt that Henry is unique and a special talent as it’s not just his play that makes him the player he is today which Michael Owen confirms by stating that ‘I think he’ll love it. That’s one of the unique things about him’. Therefore, he also gave his opinion on how he will handle the Lions tour at such a young age by saying ‘he’ll just keep playing as he has been. There’s tough competition but I’m sure he’ll do well.’ This shows how Pollock is resilient and a strong capable young player.
Pollock is still young with much more talent to come but how talented is he now and will he be one of the rugby greats? Owen said, ‘he has made himself a marked man which I’m not sure has helped him but I’m sure he’ll have a good career.’ Whilst Tyrone gave a detailed reply: ‘Well, I think he’ll get better and better because he’ll just get more experience and he’ll be able to read situations even better and hopefully add other aspects onto his game. He’s going to spend some time on the sidelines injured and it’s going to be a challenge as to whether he can stay fit and can be lucky with injury and if he can be lucky with injury and have a, you know, a number of years then he’s going to win a lot of caps for England; and this is not going to be his one and only Lions tour. You know, he’s going to be on at least another tour, if not another two tours after this.
The two Lion’s legends had stated many points about Pollock and how he will do in the Lions squad. Furthermore they believe that he has a great future ahead of him and if he stays fit without injuries, they also think he should take away a lot of experience from learning from the best on the tour which will only make him a better player than he already is. They also think he will create a spectacle to watch as both legends called him a game changer and also told us that the Lions will be one to watch with Henry’s attitude similar to the Aussies creating a bit of buzz around the young boy.
Tyrone Howe – Tyrone grew up in Ulster and at once learned rugby from his rugby loving dad. When he attended school he went to a hockey school with not the most developed rugby team but that didn’t stop him and before he knew it he was a professional winger for Ireland and Ulster. ‘So when I was growing up, when I was your age, I had a dream I might just play for Ireland. I grew up in a rugby mad house. My parents were rugby mad, and I can still remember sitting in front of the TV shouting at the TV when Ireland played in the Five Nations. In those days it was called the Five nations because Italy wasn’t part of it. And so, I grew up and the dream was to play rugby for Ireland. And apparently my dad, one of the first things he said when I was born was this, ‘this boy is going to play rugby for Ireland.’ Tyrone went on to have an outstanding career for Ireland and Ulster before eventually in 2001 he got called up to the Lion’s squad.
His time on tour – Although the Lions tour is a one-of-a-kind experience for many players Howe had a slightly different opinion on the matter. The tour in 2001 was one of the smallest squads it’s ever been which meant that it was an even bigger achievement to play which meant that Tyrone only played one out of the five tests. Despite the lack of rugby Tyrone expressed how he had a phenomenal time at the camp. ‘My Lion’s experience was sort of pretty forgettable, really. And I don’t really feel as if I made much of a contribution. But it was amazing to be there as a member of the squad and to see everything. It was like having the best seat in the house. Being on the bus with everybody and in training with everybody and in the sort of the changing rooms, when the team talks were being given, it was just an extraordinary experience.’
Michael Owen’s time on tour: he told us that his childhood dream was to play for the Wales national team so when he succeeded in his goal nothing could beat it. But he also told us that playing for the Lions was an extremely honourable moment and is a more and more proud moment now that he looks back on it. How did all the players from all the countries get along?
‘Great, it was nice to meet new people. Rugby players are pretty good and get along with each other as they are used to having new people in their team.’ This shows how players can mould together easily but getting along with your team is the most important part of being a team as they put their bodies on the line for each other. His most memorable moment on tour was captaining the prestigious team in his home ground. Who did you get on best with on the tour and are you still friends today? I got on well with the likes of Lewis Moody and Martin Corey from England. Charlie Hodgson was a lovely guy and I got on with some of the Irish lads, too. I’m not friends with them now but whenever I see them it’s nice to catch up and we still get on well. This shows the relationships and bonds that are created on the famous and hard working gritty tour called the Lions also builds lifelong friendships.
By Charlie C and Jackson R