Henry Pollock will enjoy being hate figure like David Beckham

Phil Dowson, the Northampton director of rugby, is confident Henry Pollock will learn to embrace the same hate-figure status that David Beckham did as Saints prepare for a rematch of the Champions Cup final against Bordeaux.

Pollock will be the centre of attention on Sunday after Bordeaux’s players mimicked his “pulse check” celebration in the aftermath of their 28-20 victory in Cardiff. This followed a fracas at the end of the match in which Pollock was grabbed around the neck.

Dowson fully expects an “ugly” reception for the 20-year-old back-rower at the Stade Chaban-Delmas, but believes any hostility is a mark of Pollock’s value in the same way that Beckham, the former England football captain, was targeted by opposition fans.

“I think as Henry matures, he is going to have to take these occasions on,” Dowson told Telegraph Sport. “What are the options? You don’t pick him because you are worried the crowd is going to be vociferous? He is going to have to go into that with an expectation of how he is going to be received but also an understanding of if you make that noise, you’re going to get this reaction.

“It always goes back – most important thing – to how you play because they might hate you, but at some point they will respect you because you’re so good. Loads of people didn’t like David Beckham, loads of people didn’t like Owen Farrell, loads of people didn’t like Tom Brady. More often than not it was because they were really good. People wouldn’t be that emotionally engaged if he was not really good. He is very good. He’s got to continue to do that.”

Pollock enjoyed a whirlwind 2025 in what Dowson described as his first full senior season of rugby in which he made his England debut and was called up to the Lions tour. Yet his celebrations and wind-up antics, notably agitating several Welsh players during his first England cap, attracted as much attention as his performances, leading to Bordeaux being captured mocking him in their celebrations.

“With regards to their celebrations, I think it speaks volumes about the impact he has had in the game,” Dowson said. “He has had one year and that’s the reaction he gets. That’s how enigmatic it has been. I don’t think it is a bad thing and as long as Henry keeps his feet on the floor and worries about his performance then they can do what they want. What’s the quote? Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”

Bordeaux are not the first and certainly will not be the last team that Pollock antagonises. Should he be selected by England head coach Steve Borthwick, he is likely to receive lively receptions at Murrayfield and the Stade de France in this year’s Six Nations. However, as much as he is feted at Franklin’s Gardens and Twickenham, Dowson believes he will relish becoming the antagonistic “heel” who crowds love to hate.

“I think he quite enjoys that role,” Dowson said. “I hope it does not distract him from what he is trying to do on the pitch. We want him to run around and tackle and run and to get his hands on the ball and make good decisions. I hope it does not detract from that. I think the bigger occasion – and you have seen it on the international and Lions stage – he is not afraid to be who he is.

“I don’t think he has ever been the babyface [wrestling terminology for crowd favourite] has he? Certainly, everyone outside of England has always disliked him. The Welsh when he comes on and he starts giving it large in his first international, I would be amazed if they were like ‘oh he looks like a good lad’.

“I know from my conversations with him that he has thought about this game. He understands what he is walking into and we have made it clear to him that it is going to be ugly. But when you grow up those are the environments you want to be in.

“You do want to be in the lion’s den. Sometimes you want to be playing at Saints and everyone is behind you and clapping you. But sometimes you want to be hated. From a personal experience, some of my most enjoyable experiences have been going to Ulster away, Leinster away, Castres away. Those are great memories.”

[Source: Daily Telegraph]