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]
Weight100 kg (220 lb; 15 st 10 lb)[3]
SchoolStowe School
Rugby union career
Position(s) Flanker, Number 8
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2022– Northampton Saints 44 (115)
2023–2024 → Bedford Blues (loan) 5 (15)
Correct as of 27 April 2026
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2024–2025 England U20 12 (30)
2024 England A 1 (0)
2025– England 13 (30)
2025 British & Irish Lions 0 (0)
Correct as of 18 July 2026

Henry Joseph Pollock (born 14 January 2005) is an English professional rugby union player who plays as a flanker for Northampton Saints and the England national team.[4] He currently holds the record for being 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.[6] 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

Pollock 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 in a victory against Saracens.[8] He signed a first professional contract with the club in the spring of 2023.[6] Later that year in November 2023, Pollock made his debut for the side in the Premiership against Leicester Tigers.[7] He also played five times on loan in the Rugby Championship for Bedford Blues during the 2023–24 season.[6][7]

In December 2024, Pollock 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.[15] 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.[16] 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.[17] At the end of the season he won the Premiership Breakthrough Player of the Season award.[18]

In December 2025, Pollock scored two tries in a 41–21 victory away against Bath.[19] At the end of the season, he started in the 2026 Prem final as Northampton defeated Exeter Chiefs to become league champions.[20] During the off-season, his agent, Eddie Hearn, demanded a substantial increase in salary on his current Northampton contract, suggesting annual earnings of £1million are the going rate of a player like Pollock. His current deal, which is set to expire in Summer 2027, was thought to be around £150,000 per year.[21]

International career

Pollock with the England under-20s in 2024.

England youth

Pollock captained the England U18 side on their 2022 tour of South Africa.[7][22] He scored a hat trick on his debut for the England U20 side in the opening round of the 2024 Six Nations Under 20s Championship against Italy U20.[23] He also scored a try in their last match as England won the competition.[24] He was subsequently named player of the tournament.[25]

Pollock was included in the England squad for the 2024 World Rugby U20 Championship.[26] He started in the final as England defeated France at Cape Town Stadium to become champions.[27][28] Later that year in November 2024, he was called up to England A for the first time and put in a Man of the Match performance against Australia A at Twickenham Stoop.[29]

England

In January 2025, following an injury to Alex Dombrandt, Pollock was called up to the senior England squad for the first time ahead of the 2025 Six Nations Championship.[30] On 15 March 2025, he scored two tries off the bench on his senior debut during a 68–14 victory over Wales in the final round.[31] In doing so, he became the youngest tryscorer for England in the history of the tournament, overtaking the previous record held by Henry Arundell.[5]

In November 2025, Pollock scored another try during a 25–7 victory against Australia in the 2025 Autumn Nations Series.[32] He was later nominated for 2025 World Breakthrough Player of the Year before losing out to Fabian Holland.[33] 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.[34]

In February 2026, Pollock was named in the starting lineup for the first time ahead of the 2026 Six Nations fixture against Ireland.[35] Pollock scored a second-half hat-trick of tries as a replacement in a 73–8 win against Fiji at Hill Dickinson Stadium during the 2026 Nations Championship on 11 July 2026.[36] Before the following game, he was pictured mocking opposition fans from the team bus ahead of their fixture against Argentina. The incident took place the day after England were knocked about by Argentina at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[37]

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.[38] He made his debut for the side in the opening match against Argentina.[39] In July 2025, having originally been named in the starting lineup, he sustained a tight calf prior to kickoff against the Waratahs and was replaced by Scott Cummings.[40] Pollock did not participate in the test series but did score his only try of the tour in a victory against AUNZ Invitational XV.[41]

List of international tries

as of 11 July 2026[2]

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
4 11 July 2026 Hill Dickinson Stadium, Liverpool, England  Fiji 47–8 73–8 2026 Nations Championship
5 64–8
6 71–8

Personal life

Pollock's parents, John and Hester, were born and raised in Scotland. His older sister, Zoe, is a 400m hurdler at the University of Georgia.[42] and he has one older brother, Angus.[43]

In March 2026, Pollock signed with Matchroom Talent Agency run by boxing promoter Eddie Hearn.[44]

Honours

Northampton Saints
England U20

References

  1. ↑ "Henry Pollock Profile". Northampton Saints. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  2. 1 2 "Henry Pollock". All Rugby. Retrieved 7 May 2025.
  3. ↑ "Henry Pollock". World Rugby. Retrieved 8 May 2025.
  4. ↑ "Henry Pollock Profile". England Rugby. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
  5. 1 2 Mann, Mantej (16 March 2025). "'Special' Pollock predicted try-scoring Test debut". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Vickers, Tom (13 September 2023). "The big interview: Saints prospect Henry Pollock talks to Tom Vickers". Northampton Chronicle. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  7. 1 2 3 4 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.
  8. ↑ "Henry Pollock: Northampton Saints teenager becomes club's youngest professional era try-scorer". BBC Sport. 6 October 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  9. ↑ "Champions Cup: Pollock scores as Northampton beat Castres". BBC Sport. 7 December 2024. 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. 1 2 Henson, Mike (24 May 2025). "Bordeaux bulldoze Northampton to win Champions Cup". BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
  16. ↑ Kitson, Robert (24 May 2025). "Saints accuse Bordeaux of 'foul play' towards Henry Pollock in post-final fracas". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
  17. ↑ "Poirot suspended two weeks for Pollock altercation in Champions Cup final". The Guardian. PA Media. 29 May 2025. Retrieved 13 July 2025.
  18. ↑ Kearns, Sean (4 June 2025). "Gloucester's Williams named Player of the Season". BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
  19. ↑ "Freeman stars as Northampton beat Bath to go top". BBC Sport. 27 December 2025. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
  20. 1 2 Pilnick, Brent (20 June 2026). "Northampton beat Exeter to win Prem Rugby title". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  21. ↑ Henson, Mike (2026-08-03). "Henry Pollock: Northampton star set to demand £1m-a-year to stay with Saints". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  22. ↑ "Fans split after England u18 captains X-Rated interview". Rugby Dump. 28 August 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  23. ↑ "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.
  24. 1 2 "Under-20 Six Nations: England come from behind to beat France and clinch title". BBC Sport. 15 March 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
  25. ↑ "Star in the making wins 2024 U20 Six Nations player of the tournament". Planet Rugby. 6 May 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  26. ↑ Vickers, Tom (17 June 2024). "Saints trio selected by England for World Rugby U20 Championship". Northampton Chronicle. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
  27. ↑ Meagher, Gerard (19 July 2024). "England dominate France to claim fourth World Rugby under-20 title". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  28. 1 2 "England overpower France to win Under-20 World Cup". BBC Sport. 19 July 2024. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  29. ↑ Morgan, Charlie (6 November 2024). "Gabriel Ibitoye called up to England A squad for Australia". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
  30. ↑ Hamilton, Tom (21 January 2025). "Six Nations: England facing injury crisis before Ireland clash". ESPN. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
  31. ↑ Calvert, Lee (15 March 2025). "Wales v England: Six Nations 2025 – live". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
  32. ↑ Latham-Coyle, Harry (2 November 2025). "England vs Australia live: Result and reaction as Henry Pollock lights up Twickenham in autumn international". The Independent. Retrieved 2 November 2025.
  33. ↑ "Marx first hooker to win world player award since 2001". BBC Sport. 22 November 2025. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
  34. ↑ Alwyn, Michael (23 November 2025). "Contepomi accuses 'bully' Curry of reckless tackle and shoving Argentina coach". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
  35. ↑ Meagher, Gerard (17 February 2026). "Henry Pollock handed first England start in Six Nations clash with Ireland". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
  36. ↑ Henson, Mike (11 July 2026). "Eleven-try England thrash sorry Fiji to end losing run". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 July 2026.
  37. ↑ Kitson, Robert (16 July 2026). "England defend Henry Pollock after he makes gestures to Argentina fans". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 18 July 2026.
  38. ↑ 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.
  39. ↑ Gault, Matt (20 June 2025). "Lions beaten by Argentina in pre-tour Dublin thriller". BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
  40. ↑ Kitson, Robert (5 July 2025). "Alex Mitchell helps error-prone Lions edge past gritty NSW Waratahs". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
  41. ↑ English, Tom (12 July 2025). "Van der Merwe scores hat-trick in eight-try Lions win". BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
  42. ↑ "Zoe Pollock Profile". Georgia Bulldogs. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  43. ↑ Westerby, John (20 December 2024). "Meet Henry Pollock: the wind-up merchant destined to become England No7". The Times. Retrieved 22 February 2026.
  44. ↑ Latham-Coyle, Harry (27 March 2026). "Rising England star Henry Pollock signs with Eddie Hearn's Matchroom". The Independent. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
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