‘You’re trying to hype him up’ – Lions head coach backs 20-year-old debutante to deal with tour pressure

Lions boss Andy Farrell has given Henry Pollock a license to thrill against the Western Force in their Australian tour opener.

And Farrell will be delighted if the precocious 20-year-old delivers another of his highly individual try celebrations at Perth’s Optus Stadium on Saturday.

Pollock's breakout season with England and Northampton Saints has earned him a Lions call up for their summer tour down under.

The no.8 attracted plenty of attention for his try celebrations that included a basketball dunk and holding his neck to check his pulse. 

That particular one saw him targeted by the Bordeaux players in the Investec Champions Cup final as Northampton were beaten 28-20.  

Bordeaux players mocked the pulse celebration as they posed for photographs with the trophy, and prop Jefferson Poirot was banned for two weeks for grabbing Pollock's throat after the final whistle.

Pollock, who made his Lions debut as a replacement in the 28-24 loss to Argentina in Dublin, has the key no.8 role against the Force.

And Farrell wants him to bring all of his talents and many different haircuts onto the pitch as he said: “[He’s got full license to celebrate] of course he does, the same with the haircuts as well. 

“He’s not been a pest, definitely not, he’s been great. You can see he’s hungry to learn and that's perfect because you can see he’s got a real point of difference. 

“Henry is hungry to make a difference that whole time, but he also understands which parts of his game he needs to improve – he’s got a great attitude as far as that’s concerned.”

Pollock is the youngest player in the tour party and has to look after the Lion mascot, BIL, with teammates eager to make his life hell.

Despite intense attention, including from local press in Perth, Farrell is confident the back rower can handle the pressure.

“He’s certainly not overawed which is great, I love that. You want kids to be themselves, you don’t want a kid to just be under the radar and in three weeks time just settle into a side,” Farrell said.

“You’re picked for a reason, he’s a Lion like the eldest player, there’s no difference whatsoever. His character is one that is infectious to everyone, he’s a great lad.

“I love [the confidence and swagger], you want them to be that but he's a humble kid as well, he doesn't think he’s got it all, he’s far from that. But you want people with confidence and belief and that helps when you take the field.”

After an Aussie reporter asked yet another question about Pollock, the Lions head coach added: “I can obviously tell now that you’re trying to hype him up.

“Honestly, believe me, he’s just another player like everyone else and that's how he wants to be. He’s just being himself, he doesn’t know any different. 

“Obviously, his point of difference is his ability to see things quickly and act upon that.

“His line running for example is pretty good, his self awareness of space and how sharp he is in his mind, and his athletic ability is something that’s up there with the other lads in the squad.

“Part of the whole package is dealing with our own expectations and the pressure that we put on ourselves and 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. And for the players that didn't play last week, coming in and being a bit late, they would've felt the pressure as well.”

Kick-off between Western Force and the Lions at the 65,000 capacity Optus Stadium takes place at 10:45am UK time, live on talkSPORT.

The Queensland Reds, New South Wales Waratahs, ACT Brumbies and Invitational AU & NZ are their subsequent opponents.

A first test against Australia follows, and then a First Nations & Pasifika XV clash precedes the remaining two Wallabies tests.