'If I were coaching him...': Rassie Erasmus likens Henry Pollock to Bok superstar

South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus has said that the only thing that counts regarding England back-row Henry Pollock is what he does on the field, describing the 21-year-old’s output as “exceptional”.

Fresh from a player of the match performance as Northampton Saints won the Gallagher PREM final against Exeter Chiefs on Saturday, Pollock is expected to play a starring role in England’s Nations Championship campaign, which begins for Steve Borthwick’s side against the Springboks at Ellis Park on July 5.

Former Boks have hinted that Pollock may be targeted by their compatriots in his first meeting with the world champions due to his public profile and attitude that has rankled certain corners of the rugby world.

But Erasmus has said that he would only focus on what Pollock does on the pitch if he were the Englishman’s coach, comparing him to his Springboks captain Siya Kolisi.

After naming his 46-man Springboks squad earlier this week, the double World Cup winning coach said that “people make a big deal” out of players like Kolisi and Pollock, but that is not necessarily what the players want.

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“He’s like Siya,” Erasmus said when addressing Pollock. “People make a big deal about certain players, but I don’t always think the players themselves want that attention. What counts is what they do on the field, and recently, he’s been doing that. If I were coaching him, I’d only look at his output, and that has been exceptional.”

Erasmus was also full of praise for a “very competitive” England squad, highlighting the experience in the cohort Borthwick has selected.

“The England squad is good – their average age is about 27, and Test caps around 32, so it’s a young yet experienced squad,” he continued.

“There are a few older players in their 30s, which brings the experience, but the young guys will add fearlessness into a team that was in the World Cup semi-final (in 2023), and who have competed really well off the back of the Premiership.

“It’s a very competitive squad, and we know we’ll have to work really hard against them at Ellis Park next week if we want to get a win.”