Henry Pollock showed his age when asked about former Lions tourists
British and Irish Lions flanker Henry Pollock has revealed he has no idea who Gavin Henson is.
Pollock, who is the resident ‘bolter’ and youngest player on this year’s Lions tour, did an interview with RugbyJoe about famous former Lions. In fairness to Pollock, many of the players shown were in their prime before he was born. Nevertheless, he nailed Shane Williams off the bat, joking with the interviewer about his mullet.
When shown a picture of Henson, one of the most iconic rugby players of the modern era, Pollock simply said: “I don’t know who that is.”
The Northampton Saints back-rower would have been just one month old when Henson’s kick sailed over the posts against England in the 2005 Six Nations, so the chances of him remembering Eddie Butler’s “Shave away, Gav!” commentary are pretty low.
“Sorry, I don’t know who that is,” added Pollock. The RugbyJoe interviewer seemed as blown away as some viewers, exclaiming: “Gavin Henson!”
“Gavin Henson?” responded Pollock. “Never heard of him.” Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby.
“Yeah!” answered the interviewer. “You need to Google him. 2005. Big tackle.”
Check out the clip below.
“Never heard of Henson, that’s wild,” wrote one viewer.
“Instantly made me want to go watch Henson’s highlight reel again for the 100th time maybe more! Prime Henson was something else,” wrote another viewer.
“To be fair, there aren’t many rugby players I can name that were playing in their pomp before I was born,” said one, backing Pollock’s lack of recognition.
It’s hard to believe Pollock doesn’t know who Henson is, but with this clip ruffling some feathers between fans, he’ll no doubt be pulling up the Welshman’s highlight reel.
That historic kick against in England in 2005, along with the monstrous tackle on Matthew Tait, has etched Henson’s name into rugby folklore forever. His rugby IQ and ability to change a game were attributes portrayed by the Pencoed RFC product in the years following.
Not only was Henson a remarkable Test match player who excelled for Wales and featured for the Lions, he was arguably rugby’s first genuine superstar off the field.
Often dubbed the Posh and Becks of rugby, he and ex-partner Charlotte Church formed a power couple that captured the attention of Britain. Henson went on to appear on shows like Strictly Come Dancing and The Bachelor alongside his rugby – becoming a massive sporting celebrity.
Twenty-year-old Pollock has enjoyed a meteoric rise himself this season. Coming into the previous campaign, he had played only 30 minutes of English Premiership rugby, but he has finished it with a place in the Lions squad – the crowning achievement for players within the British Isles.
The young man carries a level of confidence that divides fans, with some arguing rugby needs more characters like him to grow the sport, while others say his behaviour doesn’t align with core rugby values.
Despite his outlandish celebrations and scuffles with rivals, Pollock can talk the talk and walk the walk. Having aided his beloved Saints to a Champions Cup final against Bordeaux-Begles at the end of last season, he has starred along the way.
Pollock has been named to start against Western Force in the first match of the Lions tour on Australian soil this weekend.
