Henry Pollock (rugby union)

Henry Pollock
Pollock with England in 2026
Full nameHenry Joseph Pollock
Born (2005-01-14) 14 January 2005[1]
Banbury, Oxfordshire, England
Height188 cm (6 ft 2 in)[2]
Weight105 kg (231 lb; 16 st 7 lb)[3]
SchoolStowe School
Rugby union career
Position(s) Flanker, Number 8
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2022– Northampton Saints 39 (105)
2023–2024 → Bedford Blues (loan) 5 (15)
Correct as of 17 February 2026
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2024 England U20 12 (30)
2024– England A 1 (0)
2025 England 10 (15)
2025 British & Irish Lions 0 (0)
Correct as of 14 March 2026

Henry Joseph Pollock (born 14 January 2005) is an English rugby union player who plays for Northampton Saints and the England national team.[4] He currently holds the record for the youngest tryscorer of any English player in Six Nations history.[5]

Early life

Pollock attended Beachborough Prep School in Westbury, Buckinghamshire, and Stowe School. He joined the Northampton Saints Academy at under-13 level. He also played for Buckingham RFC. He was captain of the Northampton Saints under-18s side that reached the 2023 Academy League final.[6][7]

Career

He made his debut for the senior Northampton Saints team in the Premiership Rugby Cup during the 2022–23 season. In October 2022, he became the club's youngest try scorer in the professional era. He signed a first professional contract with the club in the spring of 2023. He made his debut for the side in the Rugby Premiership against Leicester Tigers, in November 2023, and also played five times on loan in the Rugby Championship for Bedford Blues during the 2023–24 season.[7][6][8]

In December 2024, he scored a try on his Champions Cup debut in a 38–8 victory over Castres Olympique in the opening round of the 2024–25 tournament.[9] That month, he signed a new multi-year contract with Northampton.[10] In March 2025, he scored his first Premiership try after a chip and chase during a 27–24 loss to Sale Sharks.[11] In the Champions Cup quarter finals, he scored two tries again against Castres during a 51–16 victory.[12] In April 2025, he was nominated for Champions Cup Player of the Year 2025.[13] In May 2025, he scored a try during the Champions Cup semi-finals in a historic 37–34 victory over Leinster at the Aviva Stadium.[14] He went on to start the final as Northampton were defeated 28–20 by Bordeaux Bègles. After the full time whistle, he was involved in an altercation after trying to separate Saints captain Fraser Dingwall and Bordeaux fly-half Matthieu Jalibert.[15] Following the initial incident, Bordeaux prop Jefferson Poirot grabbed Pollock by the throat before the two were separated. Poirot was suspended for two weeks with Pollock being cleared on any wrongdoing.[16] At the end of the season he won the Premiership Breakthrough Player of the Season award.[17]

In December 2025, he scored two tries in a 41–21 victory away against Bath.[18]

International career

England

He captained the England U18 side.[19] He scored a hat trick on his debut for the England U20 side against Italy U20 in February 2024.[20] He was subsequently named player of the tournament for helping England win the 2024 Six Nations Under 20s Championship title.[21] He was part of the England U20 side that won the 2024 World Rugby U20 Championship in South Africa.[22][23] In November 2024, he was called up to the England A national rugby union team for the first time and put in a Man of the Match performance against Australia A at the Twickenham Stoop.[24]

In January 2025, following an injury to Alex Dombrandt, he was called up to the senior England squad for the first time ahead of the opening game of their 2025 Six Nations Championship against Ireland.[25] In March 2025, he scored two tries off the bench on his senior debut during a 68–14 victory over Wales in the final round,[26] In doing so, he became the youngest tryscorer for England in the history of the tournament, overtaking the previous record held by Henry Arundell.[27] In November 2025, he scored again during a 25–7 victory against Australia in the 2025 Autumn Nations Series.[28] He was later nominated for 2025 World Breakthrough Player of the Year before losing out to Fabian Holland .[29] After a 27–23 victory against Argentina in the final round of the 2025 Autumn Nations Series, he was involved in a scuffle between Tom Curry and several Argentinian players, including Santiago Grondona, after the game had ended.[30]

In February 2026, he was named in the starting lineup for the first time ahead of the 2026 Six Nations fixture against Ireland.[31]

British & Irish Lions

On 8 May 2025, Pollock was the youngest player selected for the British & Irish Lions squad for the 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia.[32] In July 2025, having originally been named in the starting lineup, he sustained a tight calf prior to kickoff against the Waratahs. He was replaced by Scott Cummings.[33]

List of international tries

as of 1 November 2025

No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 15 March 2025 Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales  Wales 7–45 14–68 2025 Six Nations Championship
2 14–59
3 1 November 2025 Twickenham Stadium, London, England  Australia 15–7 25–7 2025 Autumn Internationals

Honours

England U20

Personal life

His parents are called John and Hester and both were born and raised in Scotland. His sister, Zoe, is a 400m hurdler at the University of Georgia.[34] and he has two brothers, Angus and John.[35]

References

  1. ^ "Henry Pollock Profile". Northampton Saints. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  2. ^ "Henry Pollock". All.Rugby. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
  3. ^ "Henry Pollock". World Rugby. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
  4. ^ "Henry Pollock Profile". England Rugby.
  5. ^ "'Special' Pollock predicted try-scoring Test debut". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
  6. ^ a b Morgan, Charlie (7 February 2024). "Henry Pollock interview: The England U20 hat-trick hero already on senior team's radar". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  7. ^ a b Vickers, Tom (23 September 2023). "The big interview: Saints prospect Henry Pollock talks to Tom Vickers". Northampton Chronicle. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  8. ^ "Pollock 'physicality' impresses Saints coach". BBC Sport. 6 October 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  9. ^ "Champions Cup: Pollock scores as Northampton beat Castres". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  10. ^ "Back-row Pollock, 19, signs 'multi-year' Saints deal". BBC Sport. 17 December 2024. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  11. ^ "Pollock an 'inspiring' talent - Saints boss Dowson". BBC Sport. 29 March 2025. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
  12. ^ Mann, Mantej (11 April 2025). "Saints thrash Castres to set up Leinster rematch". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 April 2025.
  13. ^ "Investec Player of the Year". ECPR. Retrieved 5 May 2025.
  14. ^ Kitson, Robert (3 May 2025). "Henry Pollock revels in 'special win' over Leinster in hardest game of his life". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  15. ^ Kitson, Robert (24 May 2025). "Saints accuse Bordeaux of 'foul play' towards Henry Pollock in post-final fracas". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
  16. ^ "Poirot suspended two weeks for Pollock altercation in Champions Cup final". The Guardian. PA Media. 29 May 2025. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
  17. ^ "The Rugby Awards 2025". Prem Rugby. Retrieved 1 August 2025.
  18. ^ "Freeman stars as Northampton beat Bath to go top". BBC Sport. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
  19. ^ "Fans split after England u18 captains X-Rated interview". Rugby Dump. 28 August 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  20. ^ "Under-20 Six Nations: Henry Pollock hat-trick secures bonus-point win for England over Italy". BBC Sport. 2 February 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  21. ^ "Star in the making wins 2024 U20 Six Nations player of the touenamnt". Planet Rugby. 6 May 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  22. ^ Meagher, Gerard (19 July 2024). "England dominate France to claim fourth World Rugby under-20 title". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  23. ^ "England overpower France to win Under-20 World Cup". BBC Sport. 19 July 2024. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  24. ^ Morgan, Charlie (6 November 2024). "Gabriel Ibitoye called up to England A squad for Australia fixture". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
  25. ^ Hamilton, Tom (21 January 2025). "Six Nations: England facing injury crisis before Ireland clash". ESPN. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
  26. ^ Calvert, Lee (15 March 2025). "Wales v England: Six Nations 2025 – live". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
  27. ^ "'Special' Pollock predicted try-scoring Test debut". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
  28. ^ Latham-Coyle, Harry. "England vs Australia live: Result and reaction as Henry Pollock lights up Twickenham in autumn international". The Independent. Retrieved 2 November 2025.
  29. ^ "Marx first hooker to win world player award since 2001". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
  30. ^ Alwyn, Michael. "Contepomi accuses 'bully' Curry of reckless tackle and shoving Argentina coach". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
  31. ^ Meagher, Gerard. "Henry Pollock handed first England start in Six Nations clash with Ireland". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  32. ^ Meagher, Gerard (8 May 2025). "Lions squad 2025: electric Pollock forces way in but Owen Farrell not among initial picks". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
  33. ^ Kitson, Robert (5 July 2025). "Alex Mitchell helps error-prone Lions edge past gritty NSW Waratahs". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
  34. ^ "Zoe Pollock Profile". Georgia Bulldogs. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  35. ^ Westerby, John (2024-12-20). "Meet Henry Pollock: the wind-up merchant destined to become England No7". The Times. Retrieved 2026-02-22.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.