England back-row Henry Pollock has been told he is 'public enemy number one' by a stranger in his South African hotel, as the Springboks target the precocious talent ahead of this weekend's Nations Championship opener in Johannesburg.
The 21-year-old, fresh from winning the Gallagher Premiership title with Northampton Saints, will start on the bench against the world champion Springboks. South Africa's World Cup-winning coach Rassie Erasmus has been complimentary of the polarising Lions flanker, but the local welcome has been far less warm.
Furbank Reveals Hotel Incident
George Furbank, Pollock's captain at Northampton and set to make his first England appearance since November 2024, revealed the extent of the local contempt. "Every time we’ve spoken about the opposition hating him, he seems to go out and perform," Furbank said. "He seems to get better and better the bigger the stage. I genuinely think it doesn’t actually bother him. I don’t know how because if that was me, I would be a little bit different."
Furbank recounted the hotel incident: "We had one person come up to him in the hotel and say ‘South Africans are coming for you’. It was actually a Congolese guy who had just finished watching the football and he came up to him and said ‘you’re public enemy number one!’"
Pollock's Face on Magazine Cover
This is not the first example of Pollock getting under the skin of the South African public. His face adorned the front cover of SA Rugby magazine with the headline: 'Poms set for Bok Bruising at Ellis Park'. Legendary Springboks number eight Duane Vermeulen previously admitted he would not mind coming out of retirement for a brief stint just to face Pollock.
The Daily Mail reported a church service outside Pretoria last weekend where a pastor devoted part of his sermon to Pollock. "How many of you are looking forward to the Boks playing England? Raise your hands!" the pastor asked. "Keep your hands raised if you are looking forward to it because you want to see that young chap, Henry Pollock. You know who he is. I want to say bimbo… but I’m not going to say bimbo. That cocky guy. We just want to see Jasper Wiese go and smoke him! He needs to be taught a lesson!"
One local student told the same paper: "He’s a good player but we f***ing hate that guy."
Robbie Explains South African Sentiment
John Robbie, the former Ireland and Lions scrum-half who moved to South Africa in 1981 and became a well-known radio presenter, offered his views on why Pollock triggers Springbok fans. "He’s absolutely what South Africans hate," Robbie told the Telegraph. "He embodies that particular English fascination with personality, star quality. That’s precisely what triggers South Africans, particularly Afrikaners. South Africans are supposed to be quiet, dour, stiff-upper-lip, modest, thankful to God. Then you have this kid who is everything they don’t like: he’s outspoken, brash, a bit arrogant."
Robbie added: "Afrikaner society has changed a lot and has got a lot more liberal in many respects, but it still has that in-built conservatism, Dutch Reformed Church, that sort of thing. I find it hugely amusing. But scrape away that, and you will find a deep respect because South Africans recognise talent. Make no mistake, they appreciate what a player he is and his potential genius."
