Bulls B team unlikely to match Northampton but cocky Pollock can be silenced

AN under-strength Bulls team will be hard-pressed to beat Northampton this evening at Franklin Gardens, but the brash Henry Pollock being put in his place would be a comforting second prize.

- MIKE GREENAWAY

The precocious Pollock, with his peroxide blond hair, is the figurehead of the England arrogance stemming from their winning streak in 2025. That culminated in the English saying it was a pity that they had not played the Springboks in November, with the inference that they would have beaten them.

You would forgive Johan Ackermann — the antithesis of showman Pollock when he played for the Springboks — for having a quiet word with Elrigh Louw and Marcell Coetzee about enticing Pollock down a blind alley at a busy ruck where the referee might be unsighted...

Jokes — and temptation — aside, Pollock is a unique talent, and one that Ackermann knows well.

“Pollock caught the eye already in the U20 World Cup last year,” Ackermann said. “I watched quite a few of the U20 games live when I was still (coaching) in Japan because it was in Australia. I knew I was going to be getting involved with the SA U20s (as an assistant coach).

“Pollock is an outstanding prospect. He is confident, and he brings a lot of energy to any team he is involved in — even with England, we have seen him make a big impact. He did the same with the British and Irish Lions in Australia.”