British and Irish Lions flanker Henry Pollock looks like a stereotypical English backpacker you want to dislike, but his performance against the Western Force on Saturday makes that impossible.

His athleticism, ambition and offloads made international teammates such as Lions No 6 Tadhg Beirne, who is badly out of form, look like they were running in mud or playing a different version of the sport before a new software update kicked in. Forget the off-the-ball stuff, it really is peripheral - Pollock’s main contribution in Perth was to remind everyone that games of rugby can still be unlocked by the right type of athlete. The bad news for the Wallabies is that Pollock looks like he can be a 10-year nemesis for the Wallabies - a rare talent.

Henry Pollock on the burst against the Force.Credit: Getty Images

Pollock had a relatively quiet game for Northampton in the Champions Cup final against Bordeaux-Begles, Pete Samu’s club. As a result, Samu - who played in UBB’s loss to Toulouse the Top 14 final at the weekend - might have a few ideas how to shut him down. However, it does appear the French effectively made up a load of........

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