Biggar backs Borthwick to keep Pollock on the bench despite hat-trick heroics against Fiji

Dan Biggar has backed Steve Borthwick’s cautious management of Henry Pollock, arguing the 21-year-old back-row is best deployed from the bench rather than handed a starting berth — even after Pollock’s 32-minute hat-trick against Fiji at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Pollock has started only once in his 12 Test appearances since debuting against Wales in the 2025 Six Nations, with that sole start coming against Ireland — a game Biggar described as Pollock’s “poorest outing”. The Northampton forward’s explosive form, which also included a player-of-the-match display in the Gallagher Premiership final, has fuelled growing calls for him to be handed a place in England’s first XV.

Former England fly-half Andy Goode went further than most on The Rugby Pod this week, declaring Pollock the best player currently in the England squad and making the case for him to start against Argentina. “I think Pollock is our best player,” Goode said. “He is a freak show. You talk about some of the South African athletes or whatever, but Henry Pollock, at the minute, is England’s best rugby player so I believe he should be starting. He’s got X-factor. He’s got stuff that no one else in that England squad has got — the speed, the power, the footwork.”

Biggar, however, offered a more measured view. “I actually think [Steve Borthwick] managed Pollock quite well,” the former Wales captain said. “You saw when he started against Ireland in the Six Nations — when you’re up against a top team, a team who are going to strangle the game a little bit more, Pollock hasn’t got the space, the time, etc. He probably had his poorest outing in that game.”

Biggar argued that Pollock’s game-breaking qualities are most dangerous when introduced into a contest already in motion. “I just think it suits him so nicely to come on when the game’s broken up. You’re missing a trick by starting him at international level.”

England face Argentina this weekend, with Borthwick’s selection decisions under heightened scrutiny following what Goode described as the team’s apparent “free fall” in 2025. Pollock, who is also a British & Irish Lion, will almost certainly feature — the debate is simply at what point in the match.