Former Australia captain George Gregan has in contrast British & Irish Lions flanker Henry Pollock to his long-time team-mate and all-time nice George Smith.
On the age of 20, England’s Pollock is the youngest member of Andy Farrell’s present Lions squad, the identical place fellow flanker Smith discovered himself in 24 years in the past on the opposite facet of the fence. The important thing distinction between the pair is that Pollock is but to function within the Take a look at collection to date, whereas Smith began at openside in all three Assessments, successful the collection within the third Take a look at on his twenty first birthday.
Whereas each flankers, the duo aren’t stylistic carbon copies of one another, however Gregan has in contrast the temperament and big-match expertise that they each possess. Smith went on to determine himself as one of many nice flankers within the sport after the 2001 Lions collection, successful 111 Wallabies caps and going through the Lions once more in 2013, and Gregan predicts the same future for Pollock, describing him because the “subsequent celebrity”.
The 139-cap Wallaby made his comparability on RugbyPass TV’s Kick Offs and Kick Ons, the place he was requested whether or not this is likely one of the all-time nice Lions sides, and identified that Pollock can’t even get into the Take a look at squad.
“It’s got some depth, hasn’t it, particularly in the back-row,” he said when assessing the current squad.
“I don’t think they can ever really pick a bad Lions team. It’s like when you hear ‘that was a bad All Blacks workforce,’ actually? I don’t actually suppose so, you’re selecting the most effective gamers from Scotland, Eire, Wales and clearly England. There are solely a few Welsh guys, and clearly Tomos Williams obtained injured, however Jac Morgan is a few participant and he couldn’t even get into the beginning XV, he was within the 23 and there are others.
“We’ve heard loads about Pollock, he’s going to be the subsequent celebrity. He jogs my memory in some ways, completely different however related, coming onto the scene and having big-match expertise and temperament, to Georgie Smith. He’s going to be a particular participant, however he can’t make that 23.
“I all the time discover it laborious to match eras or groups. The one we performed in 2001, practically half that squad went on two years later to win a World Cup and beat us enjoying for England, in order that they had been a fairly helpful Lions workforce. I don’t suppose they tour with unhealthy Lions groups, nevertheless it’s rather well balanced.
“They’ve had accidents and so they’ve needed to name individuals in, and the individuals they’ve referred to as in haven’t diminished the energy of the squad, they’ve added to it in some ways. I feel it’s a bloody robust Lions squad and there are plenty of gamers who might have been beginning on the weekend, or in that 23, that weren’t. In order that exhibits you a large number in regards to the high quality of that squad that Andy Farrell and his coaches have had to select from.”
