Henry Pollock can come across as arrogant and even his team-mates give him time-outs when he’s annoying – but here’s why there is nothing cocky about England’s next big thing, writes ALEX BYWATER

Henry Pollock’s confidence after a breakthrough season for club and country can be summed up best by the announcement he made to his Northampton team-mates this week.

‘He told everyone, particularly me, he has become our highest followed player,’ said Pollock’s Saints and England colleague Fin Smith. ‘He’s completed Instagram, aged 20, so that is great. It didn’t take long.’

Pollock’s explosion to prominence has been extraordinary. He now boasts just under 79,000 followers on Instagram, a marginal lead over No 10 Smith, who isn’t exactly having a bad campaign. Flanker Pollock, however, has been the surprise package.

On Saturday, he can continue his remarkable progression when he starts for Northampton in their Investec Champions Cup quarter-final against Castres. It is unlikely Pollock will be daunted by the occasion. This is a young man with boundless enthusiasm and talent but, more importantly, he backs his own ability.

Pollock’s self-belief can and has been seen as arrogance. But that is not the case, even if he remains the butt of jokes at Franklin’s Gardens. ‘The p***-taking is through the roof at the minute and, in the same light, so is his personality,’ said Smith. ‘He gets asked every morning if he has heard from Andy Farrell yet!

‘It has been pretty relentless, but he has just taken it all inhis stride. No matter how teams target him or however much we take the p***, he just seems to get better. I am glad he plays on my team. He has been put on mute on multiple occasions. He gets five or 10-minute time-outs. It is quite funny. I wish we had a remote control! He is a legend.

‘In England camp, Jack van Poortvliet was a real advocate for, “That is enough, Pollock”, and we just put him in the corner.

‘He is just so energetic and great to be around. He shakes his head, says, “You lot are t***s”, and just carries on.’

Northampton’s players might have been able to keep Pollock quiet off the field, but that’s not something opposition sides have managed on it.

He marked his full England debut with two tries against Wales in the Six Nations, having previously been player of the match for the A side againstAustralia in the autumn. His stock continues to rise and talk of him being a Lions bolter forFarrell against the Wallabies this summer continues to swirl.

Born in Banbury and educated at Beachborough and then Stowe, Pollock comes from amilitary family. His father, John, would travel abroad for service duties. Mum Hester was atalented athlete and would ensure her three children were always active.

Nick Glister coached the young Pollock — as well as his own son, Will — from the age of eight at Buckingham Rugby Club. Many years later, Pollock and Will Glister are not only Saintscolleagues, but also house mates.

‘He was always really confident but driven,’ coach Glister said of Pollock. ‘He was always quite small, quite wiry. He did triathlon and was very sporty generally. He was incredibly fit.

‘Opposition players would try to target him because he was smaller. But a few seconds later, he would run off with the ball,having ripped it off them in contact. It was instinctive.

‘He has fitness and strength that belie the way he looks. He was always up there as one of the better players, but you could never foresee him being the superstar he’s becoming.

‘He was so easy to coach because he was so enthusiastic and so willing to learn.

‘He was very supportive of his team-mates. He was always the one in the middle of the scuffle and you still see that now. Regardless of his own talent, he was never arrogant or cocky.

‘My memory is of him always having a smile on his face. He had things you can’t coach. His rugby maturity stood out.

‘The way Henry has progressed through the age groups has been incredibly impressive. We’re all very proud.’

Pollock captained England at Under 18 level and was a Junior World Cup winner with the Under 20s in South Africa last summer. He has taken to senior rugby like a duck to water.

To see Pollock’s wide-eyed grin as he ran on to the Principality Stadium pitch for his full England debut last month was to witness a young man living his dream.

At under 16st and just over 6ft, Pollock isn’t the biggest for a back-row. But he punches well above his weight. He is now a mainstay at Northampton and starts against Castres in a squad that features the returning George Furbank on the bench.

England full back Furbank has not played since December and missed the Six Nations due to a broken arm. ‘It is incredibly infectious,’ Smith said of Pollock’s Saints impact. ‘I remember a game when he was on the bench. We were a little bit flat and I remember thinking to myself, “F****** hell, we could do with Pollock here”.

‘That gives him the highest praise. He is 100mph. He has really galvanised us. He charges into battle and we all follow. To be like that at his age is a pretty big testament to him. Why try and stop him?

‘He is on top of the world and he deserves every bit of praise he is getting.

‘We need personalities in rugby. He is going to put bums on seats for us and you can already hear when he comes on the pitch,it gives the stadium a real lift.’

Saints shirts with his name on the back and young fans wearing his distinctive black headband are becoming more common at Franklin’s Gardens and will be on show again on Saturday.

Given he plays in such a competitive position and only has one cap, it remains a long shot that Pollock will be a Lion this summer. But if he isn’t, he is acertainty to tour Argentina and the USA with England instead.

Steve Borthwick is a conservative selector by trait, but even he could not ignore Pollock during the Six Nations.

In 2022, Pollock became his club’s youngest try scorer in the professional era. His England Under 20 debut also contained a hat-trick.

Born in 2005, Pollock is bucking societal norms. Many players of his age are quiet and unassuming. Pollock is the antithesis.

Northampton captain Fraser Dingwall said: ‘Occasionally, I do have to tell him to be quiet. But I’d rather have to simmer down someone than get them to speak up.’

Director of rugby Phil Dowson added: ‘He’s got zero fear. He’s enigmatic, 100 per cent himself. It’s a breath of fresh air.

‘He’s never done anything I thought was overboard. He just runs around having a good time and we’re not going to quash that.’