‘He’d irritate the sh** out of you’: Why ex-Wallaby backs Henry Pollock

Former Wallabies winger Drew Mitchell believes Henry Pollock’s willingness to express himself is good for rugby union, but admitted with a smile the young England backrower would “irritate the sh** out of you” as an opposing player.

Pollock wasn’t named in the starting side to face the Wallabies last weekend, but the 21-year-old still stole the show. Coach Steve Borthwick subbed Pollock on for injured winger Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, who received treatment for an injured ankle during the first half.

Jack Van Poortvliet was first to score in the second half, with England taking complete control of the Nations Championship clash. But then Pollock helped seal an emphatic result, scoring two tries in an impressive cameo on the wing.

Pollock made sure to celebrate both tries, acting surprised after the first before performing the well-known ‘pulse check’ after completing a double in just three minutes. It’s celebrations like these that have made Pollock such a vibrant rugby personality in a fairly short span.

“I think it’s good for the game to have players willing to express themselves and show a personality and a true side of who they are,” Mitchell said on Kick Offs and Kick Ons.

“But at the same time, I think he’d be one of those guys that if you played against him, he’d irritate the sh** out of you, but if you play with him you’d love him and get around him.

“That’s why sometimes [it’s] maybe polarising because some people don’t like it and whatever. But I think it’s good that we have that in the game, but at the same time, if I was playing against him, I’d be off it.”

Pollock said on the England Rugby social media channels post-game that he enjoyed his time on the wing, and that he “did a bit in the week” to prepare for that positional change. Fin Smith then chimed in, joking with his Northampton Saints teammate about how the tries were “tap-ins.”

More than 80,000 fans had watched the Test at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium, with England set to face Japan and the All Blacks in the coming weeks. But the English made sure to celebrate that result, singing Down Under by Men at Work in their changeroom.

“He’s putting so much pressure on himself. I think it’s good for the game. That doesn’t mean that I love it because he’s doing it against my team so I get the sh***,” former Wallaby Matt Giteau added.

“After the game, the England rugby team were playing [Down Under]… that p****d me off. But if it was the Aussies doing Swing Low, I think it’d be great.

“But that’s good that he brings that out of me.”