The image of Louis Bielle-Biarrey going out of his way to taunt Henry Pollock when Northampton’s golden child dropped a ball on Sunday was a striking one.
The French international wing, shortlisted for the world player of the year in 2025, is not known for this sort of thing.
Ordinarily calm and composed, he momentarily lost the plot, bending down to scream in a disappointed Pollock’s face during Bordeaux’s Champions Cup pool match against Northampton.
That is what Pollock, rugby union’s Mr Marmite, can do to an opponent.
The pair chatted amiably enough during a break in play later which suggested no hard feelings from the incident. Pollock, the ultimate wind-up merchant, perhaps accepted that what goes around, comes around.
But the clip of Bielle-Biarrey baiting the brash young back-row duly did the rounds on social media.
Traditionalists would instinctively baulk at the idea of one player belittling another. It does not fit rugby’s code of honour.
Respect has always been one of rugby union’s foundation stones – respect for officials and opponents.
There are pressures, though, to move away from that default setting. Sport in the smartphone age is consumed more and more in bite-size chunks and the more eye-catching those chunks, the better.
Three seconds of one of the world’s best players emptying his lungs out at the game’s hottest young property attracts eyeballs – and eyeballs are what rugby craves.
For rugby that means great tries, huge tackles and better promotion of its personalities but it could also mean embracing some of the grubbier stuff, content – for want of a less awful word – that may appeal for less wholesome reasons.
Short-form vertical video is the new window in every sport – be that in the form of YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels or TikTok.
Three seconds of one of the world’s best players emptying his lungs out at the game’s hottest young property attracts eyeballs – and eyeballs are what rugby craves.
The Bielle-Biarrey/Pollock incident was not the only one of its type in Bordeaux with Damian Penaud also involved in a close-up confrontation with Ollie Sleightholme.
With less than five minutes left, the Saints were searching for the fourth try that would at least give them something to take home from Stade Chaban-Delmas on what had been a difficult afternoon.
Five metres from the Bordeaux line, Sleightholme was held in a choke tackle by the home defence and referee Gianluca Gnecchi blew for a defensive scrum.
The holders celebrated. But Penaud, who was lying on top of Sleightholme at the time, chose to do so by bellowing repeatedly right in his opposite number’s face. A scuffle blew up and the Italian official penalised Penaud for his actions, from which Northampton scored and picked up a potentially handy point.
If the referee did not care for Penaud’s unsportsmanlike behaviour, Pollock was within his rights to question why no action had been taken earlier by him against Bielle-Biarrey – or indeed Bordeaux centre Nicolas Depoortere, who was ruffling his blond locks as he was being bawled at.
It may have been a factor that there was no melee for the official to dampen down with Pollock commendably keeping his cool.
His critics – of which there were 32,000 vociferous ones inside the Stade Chaban-Delmas – regard him as self-obsessed but it was noteworthy that when he accidentally hurt Arthur Retière in a carry in the closing stages, Pollock checked in on Bordeaux’s replacement scrum-half as he left the field. As he should have done. But he still did so. Some of rugby’s traditions remain sacrosanct.
The balancing point between entertainment and authenticity, showmanship and integrity, is one which it is not easy to find, especially when it is moving all the time.
Rugby is tip-toeing into an edgier space elsewhere though as the digital world around it moves on apace. The Prem clubs’ social media teams have become more adventurous of late.
Saracens marked their victory at Newcastle earlier this season by putting out an image of a drinks can being crushed by a rugby boot, accompanied by the caption: ‘I guess Red Bull doesn’t give you wins.’
Sale Sharks took a jab at their Durban namesakes after beating them at the weekend with a playful ‘Loser changes their name, right?’
This might not be everyone’s cup of tea – you can imagine Saracens’ low-key director of rugby Mark McCall privately wincing at the lack of humility – but the move away from the usual vanilla PR did bring attention rugby’s way, which is the name of the promotional game.
The balancing point between entertainment and authenticity, showmanship and integrity, is one which it is not easy to find, especially when it is moving all the time. The sporting landscape is evolving faster than ever and the competition has never been tougher.
Rugby should never sell its soul but it needs to use every avenue it can to sell itself to the next generation of fans.
The scale of the recent losses announced at Prem clubs – £10m at Exeter, £8m at Sale, £3.3m at Harlequins – reflects the necessity to find a cut-through to more fans and sponsors.
Confrontation – which is after all what the game is built on – is one of the cards it has to play.
In the professional age, rugby union does not go in for full-on fighting anymore, but the legal physicality is a draw that the Prem is now promoting unashamedly. It has been a deliberate move on behalf of the marketeers to clip up the biggest tackles and dangle them in front of Generation Z.
The big bang theory is overly simplistic – Zoomers are not just attention span deficit zombies. The 2025 IMG Digital Trends Report identified what it called ‘the short form fallacy’, ramming home the point that modern audiences ‘crave depth, not just dopamine hits’. But it did concede that the Shorts, Reels and TikToks are ‘vital for discovery.’
Gloating at opponents was never – and should never be – part of rugby’s fabric but devilry can have an allure.
Nobody should be encouraging copycat sledging, but if it happens then it is fair game to use it. If rugby has to get its hands dirty to wash its face, then so be it.
Ask most established fans and the majority would take a dim view of Penaud and Bielle-Biarrey’s antics. That is how they have been raised in the rugby church. To the dyed-in-the-wool rugby supporter, it looks ugly and disrespectful precisely because it is.
Yet potential new converts may well be intrigued. It may cause them to ask: ‘Why are these athletes going at each other like this? What has caused all the beef?’
They may conclude that a sport where its protagonists are so emotionally invested is one worth checking out.
Show them to someone who is coming to the Champions Cup afresh and they might even imagine this is a tournament everyone is desperate to win, rather than a squad rotation opportunity.
Nobody should be encouraging copycat sledging, but if it happens then it is fair game to use it.
If rugby has to get its hands dirty to wash its face, then so be it.
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I’d say there are a number of things that are adding to this type of hype and behaviour.
1) The improved (I’ll get that in first) level of use of the TMO. I know many don’t agree with that, but back in the 60’s and 70’s there was banter, but the wind ups were the sly punches, arms across the windpipe etc in a breakdown. Having been on the receiving end multiple times, you just swallowed it and sought an opportunity later, ideally within the rugby laws, but not always. But just occasionally, it was one too many, you reacted and in one memorable case, we both got sent off, shook hands and watched the game stood next to each other, until the ref spotted us and dismissed us.
In other words, winding up the opposition has been going on in one form or another for a LONG time. TMO’s make the dark arts a lot more difficult now, so the players are finding other ways to wind up. Like shouting in their faces and ruffling their hair.
2) Pollock’s “enthusiasm” when he scores. OK it’s over the top, but it’s probably coming from a deep passion for the game. I can cope with that as a supporter. I remember years ago at Bristol Felipe Contepomi scored. He continued his run through a gate, up into the stands, found an empty seat of the aisle, sat down and applauded along with the crowd. We loved it. What a showman. That wasn’t passion, the heat of the moment thing. It was pure show. Long may it continue. As long as the FANS can also remember rugby’s values and respect both teams and both sets of supporters (and I see no sign of that changing other than banter), I’m fine with it.
I remember I was at a Sarries game. One particular Sarries supporter was being particularly unpleasant and foul-mouthed towards us Bristol supporters. Those around him - Sarries supporters - told him to sit down and shut the hell up. Rugby respect!
3) The media. Obviously the bigger the media event, the better for the game. That in itself will create heroes and villains. The crowd, especially the younger kids, will be excited by this. OK, so we live that and use it as an opportunity. As supporters we teach them rugby values. To quote Nigel Owens - “This isn’t football!” We’ve had Ben Earl celebrating EVERY scrum or ruck as though it was a battle won (well, in a way…) and commentators often criticise that, but hey, we supporters are mostly mature enough to live with it. The guy is passionate and driven, let him get on with it.
Yes, we need to be protective of the rugby ethos. Many supporters go to both Rugby and Football and they seem to manage. I love the fact that we can still sit mixed - long may that continue. Let’s just let the superstars have their day. Let’s let the kids yell and bounce and enjoy themselves. But officiating staff? Keep an eye on who the real instigators of a brawl are. It’s not always obvious. And Media? Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill.
Brilliant comment! Thank you!
I suspect Bielle-Biarrey’s chat with Pollock had more to do with the latter’s childish behaviour after the final whistle of last years Champions cup final.
Bielle-Biarrey has nothing to prove; Pollock still has much to improve
This all started because the Bordeaux coach, quite simply, made up a series of lies before the final that Northampton players were calling Bordeaux players ‘mercenaries’ in the media.
No such comments were made - no such quotes have ever been produced.
He did it, presumably, to wind his players up before the final.
OVERRATED
It’s just banter between two young players. This article feels weird, and it seems that one of its purposes is to make us believe that Pollock is a young and innocent guy, while LBB is an old, wise man who shouldn’t do that kind of thing.
It’s no big news that Pollock loves to tease, brag, and provoke. He does it every game and only goes quiet when his team is being destroyed (which doesn’t happen often, but did happen in Bordeaux). It’s simply his way of having fun.
Sure, it’s a questionable way of having fun, but that’s all it is. And now Deporteere and LBB are being blamed for having a little fun too? If it hadn’t been Pollock, they wouldn’t have done it.
Banter is part of the game. It shouldn’t be too harsh, but it’s fun for both the players and the audience.
If you really want to blame someone for unsportsmanlike behaviour, blame Pollock, who does it constantly—not people who responded once.
It is all in the hands of referees. A free kick or penalty at the restart after an over-enthusiastic try celebration (unsportsman like behaviour) would make players change their behaviours. The same for ‘in your face’ reactions. As for replacements mobbing try scorers when they are warming up in the in goal area, yellow card the lot. It would change that footballesque nonsense immediately. The laws are there, referees should enforce them.
The irony of this website talking about subverting the values of rugby.
Especially with all the ignorant spewing the Saffas do here constantly.
Epic irony!
Saints boss Phil Dowson said that the abuse directed at Pollock reflected a deep, underlying respect. Does that mean that the vitriol hurled at me for years by my ex wife were really a sign of love and affection??
In neither case, I would guess!! French public and players had utter respect for Johnny Wilkinson albeit without the aggro. The grief he gets is a direct result of the disrespect he shows opposition players and spectators.
I’d like to believe that it is rugby fans who ensure that rugby traditions, including things like sporting conduct by players on the field, is upheld. It’s fans who send the message to players around what’s on and what’s not. Through their support/criticism.
Looking at the cr@p on the TikTok, the instagram and the interwebs - what is acceptable behaviour on a rugby pitch may very well be under threat in the future.
Looking forward to seeing young Henry run on at Ellis Park. He’s going to get a lot of love from the crowd. All in good spirits of course.
It's the nature of those clips that shows just how egregious and glorifying (of these distasteful antics) that are made by those fake, so-called-‘Rugby fan’ accounts that's really worrying in my view. Hopefully, the trend will just die out eventually.
Every team at every level has a player that the other team’s supporters love to have a go at.
Every coach or manager at every level also looks for a moment/theme/anchor/whatever to unlock their team’s emotional commitment. Us against them, articles or quotes pinned to the dressing room wall etc etc. It is not new to get your team fired up and wanting to put the star player or the nuisance on the other team onto the deck and kick the stuffing out of him. Not to injure but maybe to hurt them. In the good old days, that sort of rucking and manhandling could be done without consequence and it should be said that this does not excuse some of the egregious assaults or eye gouging or bag snatching that occurred. These days, players still need to find that emotional intensity and it is no surprise that UBB came out looking to hammer Pollock.
It is also no surprise that Pollock wants to come out and put on a show in Bordeaux and be that nuisance that might distract the other team. They needed a spark and he is one of their guys that can provide it. I might not like his antics but he can still play and that sort of pantomime antics will bring the hype as well as the promise of good rugby. At the end of the day, that sell tickets and gets eyeballs which is what the game really needs.
Let’s be real and wise for a min.
This is in no one’s interest to be provocative on the pitch.
Pollock is simply looking at building a social media brand around him to monetise himself and get contract from brands.
LBB is still a young player and he has never done this stupid antics when he was 20 same for the next French 20 years old.
Why ? Because it’s not tolerated within the team and coach don’t want to cultivate this type of mindset.
Referees should play their role and teach him a lesson between the « real world » opponents, a crowd and his sole objective to grow a fan base on social media.
The whole campaign about « he’s a young block.. blabla » well the other young lads don’t need to act like him to perform on the pitch. Proof is there aren’t any Saints players behaving like him. No other 20 yo English players acting like this.
Now he’s 21 and it’s time to grow up - can’t keep playing the immature refrain forever.
Starting with the next 6 nations.
The pitch has landed the result.
And it isnt a question of nationality. French, Kiwi, English, Welsh, Oz, Italian, SF, Argentinian, Scottish, Irish the young 20 yo will collect the same feedback.
“Yet potential new converts may well be intrigued. It may cause them to ask: ‘Why are these athletes going at each other like this? What has caused all the beef?’”
In the case of LBB and DP who never act like this what has “caused all the beef” is the disrespectful antics of Pollock to players and spectators when he scores. That is the context that this article should have loudly noted.
What soccer will never retrieve is the reputation for respect that rugby has. Many of the type of parents of kids who play soccer could prefer rugby for that reason. They are long term bums on seats.
Promoting the show-off antics of Pollock will end up throwing the baby out with the bathwater. LBB and Penaud were giving Northampton some of what they love to give out themselves. If you don’t like receiving it then perhaps don’t give it.
Noticable that the article doesn’t delve into the provocation of supporters. That’s because it is illegal and citable. Pollock and others are normalizing this.
and yet when pollock does it hes the devil but when someone does it to pollock he deserved it.
The point at which pollock became ‘the devil’ was the Castre game last year when he did the basketball celebration which everyone said was super disrespectful. A celebration inspired by him being targetted off the ball by castre players beforehand simply for being a very good rugby player
If giving out to fellow players in that fashion is beyond the pale, what does it say about a player abusing the ref team with child in hand to witness his fine example?