Henry Pollock ‘a liability’ as England icon tears into star after Six Nations | Rugby | Sport

Express Sport brings you your latest rugby headlines on Wednesday, March 18.

Pollock ‘becoming a liability’

Sir Clive Woodward has called on England coach Steve Borthwick to sit down Henry Pollock and deliver “some home truths” following his show-boating and expensive error against France.

Woodward believes England’s failure to think clearly under pressure is destroying any opportunity they have of fulfilling their potential, with Pollock a prime example. The England youngster celebrated Tommy Freeman’s late try wildly in Paris, taunting the crowd who had jeered him throughout.

Yet it all unravelled shortly afterwards as Pollock launched an unnecessary pass, surrendering possession back to France, who ultimately won a penalty that allowed them to kick three points to claim the game and the title in the match’s final moment.

The legendary Woodward, whilst remaining a big admirer of Pollock, says he is “becoming a liability”. Writing in his Daily Mail column, he said: “England have to learn how to handle international rugby’s pressure moments.

“They clearly aren’t focusing enough on how to do this, as was shown by their ill-discipline (nine cards in five games, tying the tournament record) and the way they lost to France at the death. Intriguingly, the exact same thing happened a day later when England’s Under 20s were beaten by France. It’s down to Borthwick to sort this out. I know he knows how.

“For example, I would definitely sit down Henry Pollock for more than a chat. All players have to do their talking on the pitch. Pollock’s baiting of the French crowd would have been fine if he had been on from the start and was delivering a world-class performance. But he hadn’t, and then he threw a silly pass which gave France the ball back, and from it Thomas Ramos’ penalty won them the game.

“He is a brilliant player and I would want the real Pollock in the team, but not the current one who is fast becoming a liability. That has to change and quickly.”

Scotland ace to bow out on a high

By Anthony Brown, Press Association

Assistant coach Roddy Grant is backing Jack Dempsey to depart Glasgow Warriors on a high after the influential Scotland back-rower’s summer exit was announced on Tuesday.

The 31-year-old Australia-born player will join Japanese side Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo in a transfer likely to affect his international prospects. Dempsey arrived at Glasgow from Waratahs in 2021 and has become a vital player for both club and nation. “Jack’s been great for us,” said Grant. “He’s a great player. Unfortunately, he’s not (going to be) with us. But it’s pro sport and we wish him all the best.

“There’s still a lot of big rugby to go. He’s been really good for us this season and obviously for Scotland as well, but certainly now we come into this big block of games and he’ll be focused on the real business part of this season.

“He’s really competitive. In the big games, he always plays well. We’ve certainly got a big chunk of big, important games coming up so I’ve got no doubt whatsoever he’ll turn up and deliver.”

When fellow forwards Richie Gray and George Turner departed from Glasgow to Japan in recent seasons, it effectively eliminated them from Scotland contention due to a scheduling conflict. Grant said he had not had an opportunity to speak to Dempsey, who earned his 39th Scotland cap in Saturday’s Six Nations loss to Ireland, to discover how his decision might affect his international future.

In a further development, it was confirmed Scotland prop Jamie Bhatti, who has accumulated 132 appearances across two stints at Scotstoun, is returning to Bath in the summer.

“Jamie’s played a lot of rugby here,” said Grant. “He’s been great for Glasgow, he really cares about the club. “He’s a good man around the squad with a lot of experience. I’ve only worked with him this season, but we wish him all the best.” Earlier this year, it was revealed that influential backs Huw Jones and Adam Hastings would be departing Glasgow to relocate to France in the summer, whilst Tom Jordan was enticed to Bristol last summer.

“It’s not a concern, it’s reality,” Grant responded when questioned about the number of high-profile departures from the club. “You won’t be able to retain everyone you’d like to in this market really, compared to these other big teams or leagues. But certainly our retention is great and we’re one of the best teams in the league (URC). But you can’t control things you can’t control. It’s part of pro sport.”

Grant disclosed that second-row Gregor Brown will “not be back any time soon” after suffering a hamstring injury in Scotland’s triumph over France. Fellow lock Scott Cummings, who incurred a calf injury in the same match, is expected to return next month.

France launch legal action

The French Rugby Federation (FFR) has initiated legal proceedings following a cyberattack connected to a phishing operation.

The federation, which boasts approximately 350,000 registered members, announced on Tuesday that it had responded promptly to the breach by implementing a range of security protocols, including the temporary suspension of certain services and password resets.

Whilst the phishing operation targeted members, the attack did not directly impact the FFR’s IT infrastructure, with a statement confirming that the federation’s central databases had remained secure.

“Investigations are currently under way to determine the number of affected members and the nature of the data potentially involved in the incident,” the statement read. The federation also confirmed it was passing the matter to France’s independent data protection authority and the appropriate government departments.

In a communication to members, the FFR stated: “We strongly recommend, starting now, that you exercise the utmost vigilance in the face of any unusual communication (emails, phone calls, SMS) [and] never transmit personal information (usernames, passwords, license numbers, personal data, etc.) by email or telephone.

“The Federation reminds members that it will under no circumstances ask licensees to provide their passwords. [Also] change the passwords of the relevant federal accounts.

“The FFR attaches the greatest importance to the protection of the personal data entrusted to it and continuously implements measures designed to guarantee its security.”

The incident follows the French football federation being targeted by a cyberattack last year, which resulted in the theft of member-related data.