Bordeaux star likens Henry Pollock to notoriously chirpy All Blacks great

Henry Pollock’s on-field shenanigans and off-field character have drawn comparisons to All Blacks great Dane Coles following his side’s hefty Champions Cup defeat at the hands of reigning champs, Bordeaux.

The comparison was drawn by Coles’ former Hurricanes teammate, now Bordeaux star Salesi Rayasi, who played a leading role in tearing the Northampton Saints defence apart in a 50-28 statement win. Rayasi crossed for three tries in the contest, including a 62-metre solo run which saw him beat five defenders and finish in the corner.

While the recently capped Flying Fijian was the first to score in the game, the Saints were quick to respond, and it was their star No.8 who provided the X-factor to score from an unlikely position. Rayasi recalled the try from his perspective.

“When I saw the 10 kick it across, I watched the ball the whole time and then turned and saw it was Pollock, I tried to get on my bike to get to him, and then he catches it and in almost one movement, while simultaneously running with the ball, he puts it onto his boot,” he told the Maul or Nothing Rugby podcast.

“I can’t touch him here; otherwise, it’s a card. I look at Dams (Damian Penaud), and he’s chasing, so I’m like ‘We’re sweet here’, and then all I see is Pollock do a swan dive.

“I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh,’ this is the last thing we need. I was impressed, like, oh sh*t, kudos. It was impressive that he did that on the fly.

“As soon as he turned around to the crowd, I was thinking he’s the last person you want scoring if you’re a Bordeaux supporter. And he’s the first one to score right after our try. You couldn’t script it.

“And he was straight into that (pulse check celebration) and that (shushing the crowd). If I was a promoter for WWE, he’d be perfect.”

The star fullback said the week leading into the Saints match felt different, with the tension of last year’s Champions Cup final between the two heavyweights still fresh in the minds of his teammates.

Pollock’s inclusion in the match added fuel to the fire, as Rayasi revealed that a team meeting during the week showed the flanker’s 55th-minute try from the weekend prior’s 41-21 win over reigning Gallagher PREM champs, Bath, which was accompanied by a celebration imitating the TMO check hand signal. The replay had the Bordeaux players especially “charged up”, according to Rayasi.

“I like the fact that he likes being the villain, and he owns it, which I tip my hat to,” the Auckland product said. “Sometimes people play the villain, then play the victim after, whereas he just owns it.”

Rayasi added, “There’s a fan base for Pollock, that’s for sure,” and said his antics invited a response from opponents. And after Maul or Nothing co-panellist Max Lahiff attested to Pollock’s genuine, good character off the park, Rayasi was reminded of his former teammate in Wellington.

“For me, I’ve always found guys who are like that on the field are the ones I’m probably most likely to get on with off it. Dane Coles was similar in that aspect; being a prick on the field and then finding out later he’s just a really good guy.

“It’s kind of hard because you’ve still got old feelings that you’re holding onto because two years ago you played him and he caught you at the bottom of a ruck. I can see Henry being similar in that aspect.”