England Rugby World Cup winner and TNT Sports commentator Ben Kay has admitted he has changed his opinion on Henry Pollock. Kay, capped 62 times by England, says he feels "protective" of the 21-year-old, having initially disliked his bullish behaviour when he was coming through, adding that off the field Pollock is "nice" and "polite".
Kay's changing view on Pollock
Pollock is fast becoming the sport's main face right now, having signed to Eddie Hearn's Matchroom agency on the back of a successful season for Northampton Saints, England and the British Lions in 2025. The 21-year-old has made just 13 appearances for England - including only one start - but his high-energy antics on the field have seen him garner attention, with Pollock the very definition of a Marmite-type player among supporters.
He has just signed a new deal with Saints worth in the region of £400,000 a year but he could not stop Bristol Bears from steamrolling his side at Ashton Gate on Saturday, with Wales international Louis Rees-Zammit mocking the England man's celebration by using it himself when he touched down to score.
Protective stance and warning
"I actually am quite protective of him," Kay told the Telegraph. "I didn't particularly like his persona when he was first coming through the [England] Under-20s and you would see some of the social media clips."
"But now I think, 'What has he done that is so bad?' He enjoys playing rugby, he is uber-competitive on the pitch but is actually really nice off it. He is polite and clearly loving what he is doing."
"And from an opposition fan's point of view, he has put his fingers up to his neck and done a few celebrations. It is nothing really. It is just the fact that we have built him up in the media. He is the biggest talking point in rugby at the moment."
"People get upset by that because they don't necessarily think that his talent or what he has achieved deserves that. But he is not out there saying: 'Point the camera at me.' It is just how he is playing and we have all bought into it. So I think he is great for the game because people are chatting about rugby as a result of Henry Pollock."
"He's one of the very few that has backed it up with performances. I looked through my fingers when I saw at the end of last season his post saying 'If you think last year was good, wait until you see next season', but he backed it up. His figures were better this year."
Neil Back's circus warning
Pollock attracted attention last week when he sported a bold new haircut for Saints' first game of the Gallagher PREM season. Kay added that his backing of the number eight came with a warning, which had been raised to him by former team-mate Neil Back.
Citing the word "circus", Kay feels he must keep both eyes on his game, rather than focus on off-field ventures. "The only one point that someone said to me about the circus, was Neil Back," Kay added.
"Backy warned that it was fine as long as all the off-field stuff doesn't detract from him being the very, very best player he can be. So, if he ever misses a session to go and do something for Eddie, that's when it becomes a problem."
