FRANKLIN’S GARDENS — It was easy to miss it amid the joyous scenes around Franklin’s Gardens on Saturday night as Northampton Saints sailed through to the Champions Cup semi-finals, but the gesture from referee Andrea Piardi was a telling one.
Henry Pollock was in the in-goal area of Saints’ quarter-final opponents, Castres, lapping up the cheers of the Lake End stand behind him and delaying putting the ball down to eke a bit more fun out of scoring his second try of the second half, on the way to a 51-16 win.
But Piardi, the experienced Italian Test official, had a point to make to Pollock about sportsmanship and he motioned downwards with his right hand, wordlessly saying: “Never mind that, No 7, just get the ball down.”
Gauthier Maravat took the bait, sliding in as Pollock made the grounding a split-second before the big Castres lock could get to him.
A few minutes earlier, Pollock’s dabbling in a ruck, marginally on the wrong side, set off a melee that ended with three players – but not the Northampton flanker himself – sent to the sin bin.
Pollock has made a clear case to be considered for Lions selection (Photo: Getty)In the first half, Pollock was warned by Piardi for “cynical play” and narrowly avoided a yellow card for a try-line misdemeanour when Castres scored.
And for the fourth time in five weeks, the 20-year-old in the black headband has been the headline-grabber in a major match – from two tries on his England debut in Wales, through a worldie try at Sale Sharks, to two Champions Cup wins in the last two weekends.
In this latest outing, Australia flanker Josh Kemeny, England scrum-half Alex Mitchell and the returning full-back George Furbank were all very influential as Northampton followed up their dismissal of Clermont Auvergne with another impressive win over French opposition.
But Pollock is the box-office draw, the bobbing apple at the top of the barrel, the irresistible lure to the TV cameras and, yes, the rugby reporters.
He’s English, he’s entertaining, he’s quick and he’s lairy and a little loose-lipped – and you cannot wait to see what he does next.
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His Northampton team-mates indulge in mock annoyance about him.
Last week after beating Clermont, it was Tommy Freeman saying “classic Pollock” as Freeman had a try nicked from under his nose.
This week it was Mitchell laughing “never to Pollock again!”, after the No 9’s superb line-break and teasing drift across the Castres defensive line set up Pollock’s tries, after which the limelight bathed the scorer more than the creator.
The TV commentators noted how Pollock keeps his eye on the big screen to see himself, and ex-fly-half Andy Goode grumbled about him staying down for a minute, winded by a back’s tackle.
Pollock himself thought it was funny: “I’ve never been hit like that – oh my!”
Leinster were given a tiny taste of the HP sauce at last year’s semi-final, played in Croke Park, when Pollock was on a “non-23 piss-up”, as he described it.
He and some Saints academy mates flew out early on the day, whooped and hollered above the players’ tunnel during the match, stayed out all night, and flew back early on the Sunday morning.
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Read MoreThe Northampton team then did not include the 19-year-old Pollock as they ran Leinster close, 20-17.
A year on, Leinster have just beaten Harlequins 62-0 and Glasgow 52-0, and with the All Black centre Jordie Barrett leading the Glasgow rout, they look even stronger now, with the semi-final to be played at the Aviva Stadium this time, on 3 May.
That’s five days before the British & Irish Lions tour squad is named, to add extra excitement.
Northampton head coach Phil Dowson conceded Pollock may have been targeted for treatment by Castres because of the celebrating – for his first try, the young flanker was gesturing to the crowd in advance of a one-handed dot-down – and was asked if the same behaviour would be wise in Dublin.
“It doesn’t bother me particularly, as long as he knows what’s coming,” Dowson said. “I mean, it’s great when he is on your side. But you kind of want that as well. You want that atmosphere, you want that character, you want people to be themselves. He is that person to do it.”
The same was said about Paul Gascoigne and Wayne Rooney – that to temper one part of their personality might risk ruining their all-round game.
It was also said that if Gascoigne had signed for Manchester United and come under Sir Alex Ferguson’s influence, his career may have blossomed with fewer downward lurches.
Leinster’s Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris and RG Snyman aren’t the types to worry too much about taunting.
But there is a time and a place for celebrating in every sport and, as Dowson hinted, a case for senior figures to give some cautionary advice – get the ball down, Henry, then start the party.
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