Jamie George believes his England team must channel Henry Pollock’s fearless self-belief when they face the Springboks at Ellis Park on Saturday.
The 21-year-old loose forward has quickly become the England player many Bok fans love to hate, with his confidence, celebrations and social media posts already stirring reaction in South Africa before his first meeting with the world champions.
George, however, says that attitude is exactly what England need in their Nations Championship opener.
“Yeah, bring it on,” said the hooker, who will captain the team in the absence of Maro Itoje. “I love Henry Pollock. Honestly I think he is a brilliant guy. The way that his brain works, I would love to live in his head for 10 minutes.
“He encapsulates what the mindset of this team needs to be: let’s go out there, let’s back ourselves.”
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England arrive at Ellis Park with a poor recent record against the Boks and a history of struggling in Joburg, where they have won just once.
George, one of only a handful of players in the squad to have played at the venue before, expects a brutal reception.
“I have no doubt that it is going to be as hostile as it gets,” he said.
“I think some teams when they play South Africa, they are daunted that they’re the best team in the world, two-time world champions. We respect them as much as any rugby team in the world because they are brilliant.
“But is it not an obvious statement that we want to come here and win? Is it not an obvious statement we back ourselves to come here and win?
“Maybe we need to harness a little bit – a little bit – of Henry Pollock over this next period in time.”
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George was part of the England side that raced into a 24-3 lead at Ellis Park in 2018 before the Boks stormed back to win 42-39.
“I don’t think we prepped too well with regards to [altitude],” he said.
“Our philosophy as a team then was that it was a mindset, but there’s probably proof to show there’s more to it.
“We’re here for more than long enough to make sure it’s not a problem this time.”
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George believes England have clarity after a poor Six Nations campaign and want to play with more freedom under coach Steve Borthwick.
“You just get the sense in this team there is a lot of excitement around our attack, a lot of excitement about what we can do with the ball,” he said.
“This team is always going to be about physicality, set-piece, working hard, being physical in defence, all of that stuff.
“Steve wants us to be able to do that. He is very encouraging for us to go out there and make the decision and throw the offload and be brave and play with courage.
“Those are 100% the messages we have had.”
SMITH: England must ‘play big’ against Boks
Photo: Warren Little/Getty Images
The post England captain: We must all be like Pollock appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Jamie George believes his England team must channel Henry Pollock’s fearless self-belief when they face the Springboks at Ellis Park on Saturday.
The post England captain: We must all be like Pollock appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
