Squad’s youngest member starts against Western Force
Dan Sheehan to captain Lions on Saturday
There is a distinctly emerald tinge to the British & Irish Lions teamsheet for this weekend’s opening tour fixture in Australia. More than half the starting XV, three of the bench reserves, the newly minted captain, Dan Sheehan, and the head coach, Andy Farrell, reside in Ireland but perhaps the latter’s most striking selection is the squad’s uncut English diamond at No 8.
Henry Pollock is only 20 but the young back-rower has been handed the glittering prize of a lifetime against Western Force on Saturday. Go well and Farrell may well include him in his Test match plans next month. Should the Northampton forward endure a problematic night, conversely, it may precipitate an abrupt managerial U-turn.
Judging by the tone of Farrell’s early assessment of Pollock’s value, though, there is already a sense among the coaching staff that their squad’s youngest member is something special despite a slightly mixed first foray off the bench against Argentina in Dublin last Friday. “You can see he’s got a real point of difference,” said the head coach. “He’s certainly not overawed. I mean, I love that. You want them kids to be themselves.”
