It is still impressive, but it is no longer a novelty. It is just what he does.
There is plenty in the 21-year-old’s skillset beyond those show-stopping scores.
Pollock has a huge appetite for work, getting through a mountain of ball-carrying and tackling for Northampton on their run to the Prem title.
He is accurate and astute around the breakdown, choosing his moment wisely to dip for a turnover.
But his ability to be in the right place and the right time if something is on, and to magic up a moment if it isn’t, is what sets him apart.
The question now is how best to how best to set him loose.
Because a sky-high try-scoring rate – one every 56 minutes of Test rugby – will keep posing the question of whether and how Steve Borthwick should play Pollock from the off.
Pollock’s only start in 12 England caps was against Ireland in this year’s Six Nations.
England were swamped that day. A back row of Pollock, at eight, with Ben Earl and Tom Curry either side of him, was outmuscled and outfought by Tadhg Beirne, Josh van der Flier and Caelan Doris.
Was the balance of that back-row short of some complementary heft? Would Ollie Chessum at six, Pollock at seven and Earl at eight be a better mix?
Leave a Reply