Steve Borthwick believes Henry Pollock can force his way into the British & Irish Lions Test team for the series against Australia this summer despite having just one England cap as a replacement to his name.
The 20-year-old was the headline inclusion in Andy Farrell’s Lions squad last month after a stunning breakthrough season in which he has helped Northampton into Saturday’s Champions Cup final against Bordeaux.
At the start of the Six Nations he was still turning out for England Under-20s before starting to figure in Borthwick’s thinking towards the end of the championship. He made a fine debut off the bench against Wales in Cardiff, scoring two tries in a 32-minute cameo.
As a back-rower Pollock is in arguably the most competitive position in Farrell’s squad with Tom Curry, Ben Earl, Jac Morgan, Josh van der Flier and Jack Conan for company. But he would join a select group of players that includes Jason Robinson and Jamie George should he make his first Test start for the Lions rather than England.
“Nobody would bet against that,” said Borthwick. “There’s fierce competition there because Ben Earl’s another player who’s played really well for England for two or three years now. He’s been exceptional. I think the depth of the player talent there is what makes it such an exciting squad and an exciting series.
“What struck is that each and every level [Henry] steps up to, he really embraces that challenge. I sense he’s somebody who just jumps all into it and doesn’t contemplate it too much. Simply jumps into it and embraces the contest. And I expect him to do the same again this summer.
“When you look at how quickly he’s grown from starting at the Six Nations in our training camp, then playing a couple of games with the under-20s, to then joining our training camp again and then playing at the end of the Six Nations. The form he’s played in Northampton since the end of that and in some of the biggest games, he’s performed brilliantly. He’s clearly an incredibly talented player who just loves the challenge.”
After their positive Six Nations campaign, Pollock is one of 13 England players in the Lions squad – captained by Maro Itoje – while Richard Wigglesworth is the first assistant coach seconded from England’s staff since Borthwick, for the tour to New Zealand in 2017. Borthwick has not yet discussed standby players with Andy Farrell but is anticipating further call-ups in the summer when England are touring Argentina and the US and is planning to pick a 36-man squad as a result.
In the recent past, England have struggled in the Six Nations immediately after a Lions tour but Borthwick believes the benefits of having so much representation in Australia outweighs the drawbacks. “Operating with the best players in four countries, I think that you get the opportunity to learn and observe how other people operate,” he added.
“Going down to Australia where the World Cup will be in two years, from a management team perspective as well as the players, is phenomenal. Australia will be the first team we play in the Autumn Series in 2025. I think that’s also an important consideration.”
