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Henry Pollock gets into it with Western Force players in post-try scuffle
By Ian Cameron
British & Irish Lions flanker Henry Pollock sparked a heated reaction from Western Force players after a third Lions try at Optus Stadium, as tensions flared during a physical first half in Perth.
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The flashpoint followed a rapid counter-attack ignited by Finn Russell, who took a quick tap from a midfield penalty and carved through the Force defence. With Pollock on his left shoulder, Russell stepped into contact and slipped a neat inside ball to Elliot Daly who dotted down to make it 21–7 to the tourists.
But as Daly crossed, Pollock – arriving in support – was shoved by Nicholas Champion de Crespigny as as he crossed the line, ending up off his feet in the in-goal area. The young English back rower took exception, shoving the openside back after the whistle. It prompted a brief scuffle involving several players from both sides, not least Lions lock Joe McCarthy who barrelled into a couple of Force forwards.
The incident was reviewed by the TMO but deemed minor, with no action taken at the time and play continuing.
OUTSTANDING play from Finn Russell! 😍 pic.twitter.com/VMl6ZsAeQt
— Sky Sports (@SkySports) June 28, 2025
It was a lively moment in an otherwise composed half from Pollock, who impressed throughout. The 20-year-old was a standout in the opening 40, combining breakdown accuracy with a high work rate in attack, and it was his offload from the deck that set up scrum-half Tomos Williams for the Lions’ second try.
Despite his form, Pollock’s evening took a turn just before half-time when he was yellow carded for a separate infringement, as the Force pushed to close the gap on the scoreboard.
The Optus Stadium crowd, buoyed by the early involvement of Wallabies hopefuls such as Ben Donaldson, Dylan Pietsch and Darcy Swain, responded with loud approval to the send-off – but it did little to rattle the Lions’ momentum.
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The Force had come into the match well-prepared and tactically sharp after their Super Rugby season, while the Lions continued their search for cohesion following last weekend’s loss to Argentina in Dublin.
At the break, the Lions led 21–7.