"A daunting step-up" Ben Earl: England back row praises young-gun Henry Pollock ahead of debut

Today at 02:18 PM

England and Wales are set to for a clash by the castle, as Cardiff’s iconic Principality Stadium is ready to encompass tomorrow’s blockbuster Test match. England enter the last round of the 2025 Guinness Men’s Six Nations with a must-win attitude, as anything less than a bonus point triumph over their hosts will put them out of the running for their first Six Nations title since 2020.

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England then need results elsewhere to go their way, with the hopes that Scotland can achieve an underdog win against France. The party in Paris gets underway after England and Wales has been concluded, and France will be without their captain and talisman, Antoine Dupont. The scrum half sustained a nasty knee injury in a breakdown against Ireland last weekend, and England back row Ben Earl expressed how such an injury is all part of the job.

“It is the danger of putting your head there.” Earl said, at England’s Surrey training base. “That's what we sign up for. I think there's so much furore around it I am not going to get involved in the rulings themselves, but as someone who jackals themselves if I am putting my head there I am almost signing a waiver for the danger.”

There is a dawning of a new era within England’s back row this weekend, as highly rated wonder-kid Henry Pollock gets set for his England senior debut. A star of Mark Mapletoft’s U20s side that won the 2024 U20 Six Nations and World Championship double, Pollock then kicked on for England A caps against Australia and Ireland A in recent months. Earl is excited to see what Pollock will bring to the back-row, when he explodes off the bench in Cardiff tomorrow afternoon.

“What an amazing story it is. It is proof that the production line of young players from the RFU works. There's been a lot of mixed messages about whether that is the case but trust me it works. He looks as ready as anyone to play international rugby and I think he will be brilliant for us going forward, not just on Saturday. He's done really well.”

“It is a daunting step up isn't it? Some of the guys he has been playing against and been looking up to for a while your Maro’s (Itoje), your Jamie’s (George), your Ellis’s (Genge)….I have been really impressed with how he has carried himself. He has been really, really good.”

Earl rounds off the England back row in the eight jersey this week, as head coach Steve Borthwick has made an assortment of alterations to his squad. A total of three new faces and four positional changes has taken place, from the team that secured a bonus point win over Italy at the Allianz Stadium. Earl is set to start at number eight alongside Ben and Tom Curry, with Tom Willis dropped to the bench.

The Saracen expressed earlier this week, how he is excited to get on the pitch alongside the Curry twins, who always leave it all on the line in an England shirt. Earl explained how the Sale Sharks stalwarts get an extra lift out of one another, which Earl relishes to be apart of as a back row triumvirate.

"I just see them get the most out of each other every time I see them train and play. I spoke in Spain about how good they are, how committed they are to the shirt, each other, the team. Ben has been fantastic off the bench, Tom has been fantastic in the tournament. It is going to be another really exciting combination, it is going to be great.”

Whilst Earl’s usual residence is found at the back of the scrum, the Saracen could well be unleashed in the backs tomorrow should injuries or tactics necessitate. Earl has been name-checked by Steve Borthwick as England’s first covering option for the centres, as the eight-man has been running the ropes of the 12 and 13 shirts alongside his teammates this week.

“That is the magic of the 6/2, that is what it gives you. You saw Jegou come on v Italy last week and he was tremendous. The crossover is crazy between a centre and a back rower. Anyone who has played will know it is the same position,  you just wear a different number and defend in a slightly different position off a scrum. That is basically the only slight technical difference. You just go and play rugby and see what happens.”

There is a unique centre pairing this week, as Fraser Dingwall forms a partnership with regular England wing Tommy Freeman. The Northampton Saints flyer has gained prior experience in the centre of the park, with Earl delighted to see the Franklin’s Gardens native getting the run out in cover of the injured Ollie Lawrence. Whilst the pre-match focus has shone on Earl as a covering option in the centres, the Sarries star did not rule out the prospect of Freeman providing unorthodox coverage on the flanks.

“(Freeman is) Very good, he scrummages better than I do. The interchanging of that lot, the way those guys defend, the way they move they could play anywhere”

There is a litany of back row talent upon England’s match day 23, with three replacement players all primarily listed as either a flanker or number eight. Chandler Cunningham-South, Henry Pollock and Tom Willis are all eager to get involved, with each player backed with explosive pace. Earl believes that it is this speed element that England are searching for in attack, with the days of heavy lumbering back rows sitting in a bye-gone time.

"The thing  you are seeing around the park is speed wins. France is the classic case, Bielle-Biarrey is the quickest person I have seen play the game and every time he gets the ball he can make something happen. Speed seems to be more of a priority to some teams than others but for us, we are talking a lot about moving the ball, being aggressive, outworking teams. The players we have got buy into that.

"There are tactical senses, the idea of Chandler, Henry and Tom coming off the bench at some point in the second half, that is pretty daunting isn't it. That's pretty cool.”

A player that relishes the noise of the crowd at the best of times, Earl is chomping at the bit to get a taste of the world famous Principality Stadium atmosphere. The roof is set to remain closed for England’s trip to the Welsh captial, with Earl yet to experience the awe-inspiring orchestra of the capacity Cardiff crowd.

“I've never played there with a full crowd. I've only played there during Covid but I'm told it's amazing. It'll be fun, I'd rather play in front of loads of fans rather than no fans, trust me.”

“It's as difficult as you want to make it. Every team is trying to counterattack you one way or another. We know our plan, we know our plays, we know what we're trying to do. If Wales bring something completely different we might have to make some adjustments but we'll take what we can, we'll play as well as we can. No team is going to lie down because of how their tournament has gone or what we've got on the line, no one is going to hand it to us and that's what Steve is getting out (of us).”

“It is what you make it. We can say, ‘oh boys it's going to be loud’ and it's even louder than you think or you go, ‘oh it doesn't really matter’. I'm not saying it doesn't matter, I'm really not, but each player will us that differently.

“There's enough experience in the room if someone wants to lean on someone to have a conversation about how to deal with it there'll be people there but I think it is what you make of it and if you don't feed off that then you're probably playing the wrong sport and the wrong moment, in the wrong team. So we'll trying to be use it for us.”

Looking back a few short months, and Earl gave a poignant message to the media after England’s first round defeat in the 2025 Six Nations. England suffered a tough loss to Ireland in Dublin, and after the match, Earl expressed how once the ‘dam breaks’ England will return to winning ways. The Saracen’s prophecy has since come true with three consecutive wins racked up over France, Scotland and Italy.

As England endured an arduous run of defeats throughout the Summer and Autumn of 2024, and the ‘dam’ has finally broke to bring forth a torrent of success, Earl was asked about whether the previous heartache has made England a tougher team to beat. As it is impossible to reverse the flow of a fast moving river, England need to keep momentum on their side as they cross the Severn this Saturday.

“You said the word momentum and that certainly feels a little bit more our way. What can I say has changed, honestly, absolutely nothing. The mentality has been the same, the preparation has been the same, belief has been the same.

“All that has changed is we have got the rub of the green in a moment, we have won the game in a moment, and we always felt that was coming. But that doesn't give us the right this weekend. It is almost a one-off game and when you play Wales in Wales, under the roof, in the context of where both teams are at at the moment, it is almost, what did Jamie (George) say, a World Cup final. It feels like it is a one-off game, for sure.”

“You sleepwalk into any sort of game, you expect a game to go a certain way it won't. That has been a big message for us this week – it is as big as it gets this week.”

EDITORS PICKS:

• England star could make his final appearance against Wales before transfer
• 5 Things to Know About England Debutant Henry Pollock
• Wales team to play England: 2025 Six Nations
• Ireland star released statement after citing and Antoine Dupont injury
• 'Henry Pollock's debut' – Makers & Breakers: England team to play Wales
• "Surgery next week" – Steve Borthwick provides injury update on Ollie Lawrence

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