Henry Pollock and Ollie Allan Interview: England’s ‘brotherhood theme’ fuelling pursuit of U20s glory
.jpg "England will take on Ireland on Sunday for a place in the World Under-20 Championship final")
England will take on Ireland on Sunday for a place in the World Under-20 Championship final
©Photo by Thinus Maritz/World Rugby
On Tuesday evening, in horrendous weather conditions, England Under-20s snatched a dramatic 17-12 victory over host nation South Africa to confirm a spot in the World Under-20 Championship semi-finals.
On Sunday, they will take on rivals Ireland and the pool stages for Mark Mapletoft’s men did conclude with a third straight victory.
But it wasn’t without its challenges.
The tight affair was dictated by the wind and the rain and considering one of the earlier games between Ireland and Australia had to be abandoned, it further highlighted how appalling the conditions were.
However, England’s clash at the Athlone Sports Stadium did go ahead and despite needing just a single point to secure their place in the semi-finals, they were determined to walk away with a win.
In the 86th minute, the entire side joined a driving maul which eventually managed to push replacement hooker James Isaacs over the line.
U20 Six Nations Player of the Tournament and Northampton Saints back-row Henry Pollock has become an essential part of the leadership group within the squad and he explained that even though the safety of a draw was an option, England were not going to settle for a share of the spoils.
“We spoke about it in the week and Finn Carnduff [England’s captain] said it in the pre-match huddle about how we didn’t want to just go into the game and play for the draw,” Pollock tells TRU.
“The way that this team operates is that we want to go 100 per cent every time we step out onto the pitch.
“At the end there, we could have easily taken the draw, but to say that we’ve beaten South Africa on their home patch is a special thing and will live in the memory of these boys for a long time. It was a special moment for all of us as you could see by the celebrations.
“South Africa played really well and probably played to the conditions, keeping it nice and tight with their forwards, but we were happy to get the win and I think it shows the fight that we have in this squad and the depth with the bench coming on and making that impact.”
The conditions during the game were horrific for Pollock and co, with their once pristine white shirts quickly covered by the mud bath.
Leicester Tigers and Loughborough University scrum-half Ollie Allan played a crucial role in marshalling his players around the field but admitted the side was unphased going into the match.
“There was a lot of external chat heading into the game with the earlier game being cancelled and the weather, but we were adamant not to let that affect us,” Allan, who made 12 appearances for Loughborough in BUCS Super Rugby this season, says.
“We said the weather won’t win us the game, but it won’t lose us the game either. We had a clear game plan of how we were going to attack it. It was a great feeling getting the win, and we felt like we deserved it.
“It was a tough game, especially at scrum-half, but it was made a lot easier with the people around me. The forwards were unreal at getting us front foot ball when we needed it which makes my job a lot easier when I’ve got clean breakdowns to get the ball away and into space.”
As Allan indicated, a real highlight of this England Under-20s side has been their forward pack. Their physical dominance has shone brightly across all three games, and they even put a formidable Junior Boks pack to the sword.
Pollock told TRU that their strong showings have been down to the hard work behind the scenes.
“It’s the sort of stuff that goes unnoticed and people don’t get to see, but we’ve been working so hard on our scrum and maul,” says Pollock, who made his Gallagher Premiership debut for Northampton against Leicester Tigers back in November.
“The boys in the front row have put a real emphasis on those areas. It’s a great asset having the players that we do in our pack.”
Across the whole squad, there is a wide variety of experience. Pollock and his captain Carnduff both have Premiership appearances to their name, with the latter also playing in Leicester’s Champions Cup Round of 16 match against Leinster in early April.
But a large majority of Mapletoft’s troops have racked up their playing minutes in either BUCS Super Rugby, the Championship or the National Leagues this season.
In terms of Allan, a high percentage of his game time came in BUCS Super Rugby as he played his part in Loughborough winning the Championship this year.
The 20-year-old also featured heavily for National One side Rams in 2022/23 and says the wide range of experiences amongst the squad is an asset to England’s game.
“It’s all tied into the brotherhood theme that we live by in this squad,” Allan adds. “It’s great that the boys who play for the university sides can come in and bring that quicker brand of rugby that’s played in that league but also mixed with those boys who have more senior Prem experience, bringing those physical aspects.
“Getting those experiences from everywhere and bringing it into one group and out onto the pitch, I think you see its worth.”
And this current ‘band of brothers’ will now be fully focused on the challenge of Ireland on Sunday.
The last time the two teams met was in the Six Nations back in March, where, despite a 77th-minute try in the corner from Ben Waghorn, the Irish fought back at the death to secure a 32-all draw.
This time, a draw isn’t an option for either side, and England will be hopeful of securing a spot in the final on July 19th as they target their first U20 World Championship crown since the likes of Will Stuart, Joe Marchant and Jack Willis lifted the title back in 2016.
“Ireland are a very well-drilled side,” Pollock adds. “The game in the Six Nations was difficult, and we’re expecting the unexpected from them. Having said that, we have so much belief in this team and we’re going to go in with a lot of confidence and play the way we want to play.
“We can only control what we can control, and those have been the messages this week, but we’re determined to walk away with a win.”
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