Henry Pollock has piled the pressure on Steve Borthwick after scoring a hat-trick off the bench in England’s 73-8 demolition of Fiji.
But the head coach is still refusing to confirm whether the rising star will start Saturday’s Nations Championship clash against Argentina in Santiago del Estero.
The 21-year-old Northampton loose forward needed just 32 minutes to leave his mark at Hill Dickinson Stadium, crossing three times as England ran in 11 tries to snap a five-match losing streak in emphatic fashion.
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His latest eye-catching display has intensified calls for him to be promoted to the starting XV. Borthwick, however, was giving little away.
“Henry is an outstanding player but we’ve got many real top-quality back-row forwards,” the England coach said. “He finished his chances really, really well.”
Pressed on whether Pollock had earned a starting role against Argentina, Borthwick again sidestepped the question.
“He did a pretty good job coming off the bench, didn’t he? Pretty good impact.”
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While Pollock’s performance gave England a welcome selection headache, there was bad news elsewhere.
Scrumhalf Alex Mitchell has been ruled out of the Argentina Test after suffering a hamstring injury shortly after coming off the bench against Fiji.
Mitchell lasted only nine minutes before limping off, with Borthwick admitting the injury is likely to end his involvement in the July tour.
“I don’t know at this stage whether it’s a recurrence of the hamstring injury he’s had a couple of times already this season, but it looks like he won’t be able to be part of next week,” he said.
– AFP
Photo: Ed Sykes/Getty Images
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