The least experienced British & Irish Lion in Australia, Henry Pollock, has been rooming with the most experienced Lion on tour, Owen Farrell.   

The energizer bunny back-rower revealed that when Farrell was called into camp last week as injury replacement for Elliot Daly, he was paired up with the man 13 years his senior. 

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“We actually shared a room in his first week, in Canberra,” explained Pollock after the Lions’ 48-0 victory over AUNZ XV in which the duo both played. “It was good to get chatting to him, learning from him. 

“He’s an amazing player and an amazing person as well. It’s amazing to have him here and his experience is kind of… no one else is like him, I guess.” Yeah, I do (remember watching Farrell play on Lions Tours) actually. I probably would have been… how old was I? 12! 

“I remember watching him and as I said, he’s an amazing player and having his experience here is only a credit to him.”  

As you can expect being his elder, Pollock has been on tea-making duty but the real question is what do a 33-year-old and a 20-year-old talk about in the confines of four private walls? Rental property prices in Paris or the latest Lamine Yamal “celly”? 

To put the gulf in lived experience into perspective, Pollock was eight years old when Farrell was on his first Lions tour, 12 years ago here in Australia. 

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The Northampton Saints star had not even stretched his legs on a full size rugby pitch while Farrell was running out for Test match rugby against the Wallabies. 

Owen Farrell playing for the British & Irish Lions at Patersons Stadium on June 5, 2013 in Perth, Australia.

It turns out despite being much younger, Farrell has decided to talk to Pollock about a subject any young man in his thirties would turn to when searching for small talk conversation starters – his kids. 

“We’ve had a few conversations. Just talking about normal stuff I guess. He’s obviously got kids, so we talk about his kids but I’m sitting there going, ‘I’m still 20’,” joked Pollock. 

“He’s been great and I’m learning so much from him and all the other players and it’s amazing to have him in the squad and his experience is like no other.”

For Pollock, it is probably invaluable having another “wunderkind” of his day at close quarters, a fantastic sounding board for a player although incredibly different, on a very similar trajectory of greatness. 

Farrell was playing Premiership Rugby at 17 and was a full England international by 21, a Lion at 22. He will know what it is like for your rugby life to come at you fast. 

And just take the way he has taken his call-up to the Lions in his stride. He had not played a game since May due to concussion, and that came after a tepid season to forget for Racing 92. 

Henry Pollock celebrates with the pulse check for the British & Irish Lions
(©INPHO/Dan Sheridan)

He was then, ultimately, called up by his dad. A decision, like it or not, that was always going to be a group splitter in the pub. Yet playing half an hour against the AUNZ Invitational XV last night, he showed glimpses of the Farrell of old and why he is here. 

A yard and a half of pace may have been lost but the mind is still like a tac, as is his ruthlessly impressive competitive nature. 

Farrell set up Pollock’s second-half try, a smart defence-turning grubber that saw Pollock feeding off of a defensive mistake over the line. Pollock added: “He’s been on top of everything and you can see that tonight.”

With a few injuries in camp, such as Garry Ringrose’s concussion issues, and a lack of bite to how things are being done on the field, there is a good chance Farrell earns a bench spot for the first Test in Brisbane on Saturday.

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He can play ten, he can play 12, he has experience of winning Lions Tours. He is (pardon this overtyped phrase) a Test-match animal. 

On the other end of the spectrum, Pollock should feel hopeful. Flanker is arguably the strongest position the Lions have but the various combinations in the warm-up games from Andy Farrell have felt a little off. 

Jack Conan will start at No 8 and the tarot cards are premonising that Ollie Chessum will add bulk and ballast at six. That leaves Jac Morgan, the tour’s most consistent performer, Tom Curry and Josh van der Flier fighting it out for the seven jersey.

Yet whoever takes it, Pollock’s unique style could be a trump card for the bench. He breaks the gainline, he beats defenders, he makes things happen. It feels ridiculous that he could be a Test Lion at 20 years old but ridiculous is just what Pollock trades off. 

So come Saturday, the British & Irish Lions opening Test against Australia in Brisbane, do not be surprised when the least experienced Lion is sitting next to the most experienced Lion on the bench. Just probably saving the kids’ chat. 

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