Springboks fans booed the wrong England flanker in Ellis Park hostile reception for Pollock

South Africa’s crowd had spent the better part of a week declaring Henry Pollock “public enemy number one” before England’s 45-21 Nations Championship defeat at Ellis Park on Saturday — yet it was Bath flanker Guy Pepper who first felt the full force of their hostility, after supporters mistook him for the 21-year-old Northampton Saints back-row.

Pepper came off the bench and was jeered every time he touched the ball, with the Ellis Park faithful apparently unable to distinguish between the two England back-rows. The stadium PA had even primed the crowd beforehand, announcing: “When Henry Pollock walks onto this park, you make him feel it.” Pollock did eventually come on as a replacement and received his own hostile reception.

The case of mistaken identity drew widespread amusement on social media. Respected rugby journalist Ben Coles wrote on X: “Guy Pepper getting booed because the crowd think he’s Henry Pollock is excellent.” One post called it “pathetic and hilarious” that supporters who had spent a week fixating on Pollock “didn’t even know what he looks like.” Another noted: “Henry Pollock is a superstar. The boy is barely 21 and was getting booed by the whole of Ellis Park before he even played a minute of footy. Says a lot about the lad.”

On the pitch, England were well beaten. South Africa built a commanding 17-0 lead inside 12 minutes and ran in seven tries in total, condemning head coach Steve Borthwick’s side to a fifth consecutive defeat.

Borthwick had defended Pollock before kick-off, pointing to the flanker’s habit of thriving under pressure: “Over the last couple of years as Henry Pollock has emerged he’s faced challenges, especially in European rugby. Teams see what he gives to his own team and they want to try and nullify that. I’ve seen that over and over, yet Henry Pollock just always seems to shine and thrive, with a smile on his face. We want more personalities like that — he’s a wonderful character and we love having him in our squad.”

The episode underlined the unusual level of attention Pollock attracts for a player still in his early twenties, even if Ellis Park’s execution of their planned welcome left something to be desired.