As Henry Pollock idly plays with the straggly end of his blond rat’s tail on a sunny day in Northampton, he looks wholly at ease. There are more microphones in front of him than anyone else but that’s fine. Exeter are preparing to hit him with everything they can muster but that’s fine too. If you’re aspiring to stand out from the crowd, it’s all part of the deal.
Because a high-profile Prem final is exactly where he wants to be. Particularly as he missed the last one. When Saints lifted the trophy in 2024 he was away in Georgia with England Under-20s, jumping up and down in a hotel room in Tbilisi. “I was a bit annoyed I missed that experience but the boys have been telling me how amazing the whole week was. I am just trying to live every moment of it.”
