Henry Pollock, 21, absolutely ripped Fiji apart with a hat-trick of tries on Saturday. This came in England's dominant 73-8 thrashing at Hill Dickinson Stadium, a game that also saw 19-year-old Noah Caluori make his debut off the bench and dive over for his own score, setting up another for Henry Slade.
Pollock's Pressure on the Back Row
Pollock came in as a 48th-minute replacement and just exploded, making a massive statement after being named the English top flight's breakthrough player of the season in 2024-25. He's only started once in 12 Test appearances for England, but he's not holding back on his ambitions. "A big thing for me at the minute is wanting to get that starting shirt," Pollock said. Coach Steve Borthwick apparently told him to "just go out there and be myself" before the Fiji game, and Pollock hopes he delivered enough to impress. With six Test tries already in his short international career and a strong finish to his club season with Northampton, you gotta think the calls for him to start are getting louder. The competition is "crazy good," Pollock admits, with Ollie Chessum, Tom Curry, Guy Pepper, and Ben Earl also gunning for back row spots. But after a show-stopping treble like that, how do you keep him on the bench?Caluori's Swan Dive and Sky-High Ambitions
Then there's Noah Caluori, the 2025-26 breakthrough player of the season. He made his England debut off the bench and immediately set up a score before getting his own. This kid, who plays for Saracens and finished joint top of the Prem try-scoring standings this season, is not shy about his goals either. He's publicly stated he wants to be England's best-ever wing. "I'm still hungry for more," Caluori told Rugby Union Weekly, adding, "The next thing after this is to start. I'm always trying to get better every day in training." He's definitely not "a complacent person." Caluori's got some serious rivals too, like Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Tommy Freeman who started against Fiji, plus Cadan Murley, Tom Roebuck, Henry Arundell, and Adam Radwan. But his prodigious vertical leap, shown off in his diving try, makes him a special talent. He even jokingly compared his dive to Chris Ashton's signature move, saying Ashton's "technique's a bit better" but maybe Caluori jumps "a bit further." That confidence, at 19, is wild. These two celebrated their scores in style, with Pollock copying England football star Jude Bellingham's pose and Caluori soaring over the whitewash. Now, the focus shifts to England's final match of the summer this Saturday against Argentina. England has a great record against the Pumas, winning 15 of 16 meetings historically, but Argentina has won both of their two matches played at the Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudades. It'll be interesting to see if these young guns get their chance to push for a starting shirt against the Pumas.This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.