Farrell backs Pollock to prove ‘point of difference’ for Lions in striking selection

There is a distinctly emerald tinge to the British & Irish Lions teamsheet for this weekend’s opening tour fixture in Australia. More than half the starting XV, three of the bench reserves, the newly minted captain, Dan Sheehan, and the head coach, Andy Farrell, reside in Ireland but perhaps the latter’s most striking selection is the squad’s uncut English diamond at No 8.

Henry Pollock is only 20 but the young back-rower has been handed the glittering prize of a lifetime against Western Force on Saturday. Go well and Farrell may well include him in his Test match plans next month. Should the Northampton forward endure a problematic night, conversely, it may precipitate an abrupt managerial U-turn.

Judging by the tone of Farrell’s early assessment of Pollock’s value, though, there is already a sense among the coaching staff that their squad’s youngest member is something special despite a slightly mixed first foray off the bench against Argentina in Dublin last Friday. “You can see he’s got a real point of difference,” said the head coach. “He’s certainly not overawed. I mean, I love that. You want them kids to be themselves.”

Having captained Great Britain at rugby league himself at the age of 21, Farrell knows more than most about precocious youth and clearly does not regard Pollock as either a callow apprentice along for the ride or “a pest” on the training field, as one or two of his England teammates have good-humouredly described him. “He’s not been a pest, definitely not. He’s been great and he’s hungry to make a difference the whole time.

“You don’t want a kid to go under the radar and in three weeks’ time just settle into a side. You pick him for a reason. He’s a Lion just like the eldest player, there’s no difference whatsoever. His character is infectious to everyone.”

The not-so-subliminal message is that the Lions need a catalyst to help crank up the tempo against the Force following their pre-departure loss to the Pumas. This time they have the benefit of being able to pick from their extensive Leinster contingent and Finn Russell, having just helped to clinch a Premiership title for Bath, is also around to pull the tactical strings at fly-half outside the Gloucester and Wales scrum-half Tomos Williams.

Dan Sheehan will captain the British & Irish Lions against Western Force. Photograph: Dan Sheridan/INPHO/Shutterstock

The only players picked to start for a second successive game are Tadhg Beirne and Sione Tuipulotu but both will wear different numbers this time in a side containing no fewer than nine first-time Lions, Sheehan among them. The challenge for all concerned, however, is essentially the same: to display greater certainty and cohesion than they did at vital moments against Argentina.

Within that collective template Farrell has also made clear he wants individuals to stand up and demonstrate why he picked them in the first place. In Pollock’s case that means taking the game to the opposition with and without the ball and materialising in areas that defences might not expect. “His point of difference is his ability to see things quickly and act upon that,” Farrell said. “His line running, for example, is pretty good. His awareness of space, how sharp he is in his mind and his athletic abilities are also up there with the other lads in the squad.”

Among the rest of the squad there is also a belief that Pollock’s bouncing energy is already emerging as a force for good. “He’s a great fella, he really is,” said the wing Mack Hansen. “People say he does things for the camera and all that but I think that’s just him. He just loves it. He’s living his dream and he’s like: ‘How good is this?’ So I don’t think it’s fake by any means.”

Similarly the Lions will be hoping Russell can bring fresh impetus from the start and that Sheehan, who has captained Ireland once, can instil greater control and more lineout cohesion against a Force team containing half a dozen Wallaby squad representatives. The Lions are still without Jamison Gibson-Park, Hugo Keenan and James Ryan, all of whom should be available to face the Reds on Wednesday, but Sheehan wants those involved this weekend to go out and match the Force for intensity and desire. “I don’t want them to think that they’re going to be hungrier than us,” said the Leinster hooker.

Even against a Force side without the injured Kurtley Beale – replaced at full-back by Ben Donaldson – it should all make for an intriguing occasion. “Part of the whole package is dealing with the pressure we put on ourselves,” said Farrell, understandably keen to see more collective composure in multiple areas. “That’s why we were disappointed last week. I put a lot on them because I want to see how they deal with the pressure. We’ll see on Saturday how we respond. I hate losing, so does everyone else.”