STORY-TRÅD·sport

All eyes on Henry Pollock as England aim to think big against South Africa

Northampton flanker and ‘public enemy No 1’ will be used as an impact player in the Nations Championship openerLast-ditch attempts are being made to try to boost the attendance at Ellis Park this weekend, with sharply discounted tickets now on sale for South Africa’s meeting with England. They may succeed in putting a few more bums on seats, but not half as many as would have been the case had Steve Borthwick named Henry Pollock, the eye-catching Northampton flanker, in his starting XV for the opening round of the Nations Championship.There are certainly plenty locally who cannot wait to see Pollock’s first collision with the likes of Eben Etzebeth, Jasper Wiese or Pieter-Steph du Toit, with those eagerly licking their lips including several hard-nosed former Springboks and a random passer-by at England’s team hotel this week. “We had one person come up to him in the hotel and say the South Africans are coming for you,” reported Pollock’s team-mate George Furbank. “It was actually a guy who was Congolese. We had just finished watching the football and he came up and said: ‘You’re public enemy No 1 here, mate.’ ” Continue reading...