England international Henry Pollock surprised fans on the opening night of the Gallagher Prem season by debuting a bold new look. The Northampton Saints back-row managed to keep his new haircut under wraps ahead of kick-off against Newcastle Red Bulls, first by wearing a hat when arriving at Franklin's Gardens. The 21-year-old Lion then wore a scrum-cap during the warm-up to keep fans waiting.
Cornrows Unveiled at Franklin's Gardens
Eventually, all became clear - with Pollock sporting cornrows. The England international isn't the first player in recent seasons to suddenly turn to the style. Wales full-back Blair Murray debuted something similar last season, albeit only temporarily.
Adam Jones was also convinced to get cornrows by Shaun Edwards during Wales' 2008 Grand Slam, with the defence coach telling him he would "look cool".
Social Media Tease and Fan Reaction
Pollock had teased a new hairstyle on social media hours before kick-off. Posting a video of himself wearing a hat and claiming he wasn't nervous, the post was captioned: "See you all tonight".
Upon unveiling his haircut, one fan posted on social media: "Pollock with cornrows, f*****g hell." Another said: "Listen, Henry Pollock is a great player but fucking hell that Lid is absolutely diabolical."
50th Appearance and New Deal
Pollock was making his 50th appearance for the Saints, just days after signing a new deal with the Prem club. After weeks of speculation - with promoter Eddie Hearn claiming Pollock was worthy of a £1m-a-year deal - the back-row finally signed an extension with Northampton this week.
"New deal, new lid," said TNT's commentator upon seeing the new barnet. "Very much the Instagram generation. That will be doing the rounds later. That will be trending. Henry's new cut."
Austin Healey added: "Yeah, he's beaten me to it. I'm releasing my new haircut next week."
Beckham Comparison
The nature of the reveal, with Pollock keeping it under wraps until kick-off, had a shade of David Beckham to it. Beckham was famously ordered by former Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson to shave his mohawk off in the tunnel at Wembley just minutes before the 2000 Community Shield. Beckham had kept his new hairstyle hidden from Ferguson by wearing a beanie hat over it until arriving at Wembley.
