Ex-Springboks coach Mallett slams Borthwick for benching Pollock in 45-21 Ellis Park defeat

Nick Mallett, the former Springboks head coach, has rounded on Steve Borthwick for his decision to keep Henry Pollock on the bench during England’s 45-21 defeat to South Africa at Ellis Park, arguing the selection directly weakened England’s back row at a critical moment.

Speaking on Talking Boks with Brendan Nel, Mallett was unequivocal. “I would have started Pollock,” he said. “I don’t think he is a guy that you necessarily bring off the bench. He is a fantastic rugby player, and you start the guy and don’t worry about all the media pressure.”

Mallett drew a pointed comparison to illustrate his frustration. “It’s like saying Sacha, we’ll bring him on with 20 minutes to go to protect him. That’s nonsense. You want to get him out there and give him the best opportunity to show what he can do. If they had started with him and a big blindside flank and Earl, their loose trio would have been better.”

Borthwick’s caution with Pollock is not new. The 21-year-old played every Test last November from the bench, and his Six Nations campaign followed the same pattern — just one start at No.8 against Ireland across his first 10 Test appearances. Against South Africa, veteran Tom Curry started at openside alongside Ollie Chessum and Ben Earl. Curry himself first made his name on England’s 2018 tour of South Africa as a teenager under Eddie Jones.

Despite his criticism of the selection, Mallett was measured in his overall assessment of England’s performance. The visitors clawed back from 17-0 down to trail 31-21 with ten minutes remaining before the Springboks pulled away. “I felt they had a really good side,” Mallett said. “The Premiership had a really good final, and Northampton has been playing well and he had a number of their players in his team.”

He also acknowledged South Africa’s contribution to the margin. “The result flattered us and they didn’t deserve to get 45 points,” he added, offering Borthwick some sympathy given the difficulty of winning in South Africa.

England now return home to face Fiji in round two of the Nations Championship, where they will look to end a five-game losing streak.