Pollock makes Lions squad as Owen Farrell misses out

Northampton’s 20-year-old forward Henry Pollock will tour Australia with the British and Irish Lions this summer, but former England captain Owen Farrell, the son of head coach Andy, misses out.

Pollock’s inclusion marks a warp-speed rise to the top of the game. The flanker, who only turned 20 in January, had played only one Premiership game before the start of this season.

Farrell, a three-time tourist in the past, has only just returned to fitness with French side Racing 92 but the 33-year-old had aspirations to represent the Lions once more.

Elsewhere, Ireland’s first-choice fly-half Sam Prendergast misses out with Scotland’s Finn Russell and England pair Fin Smith and Marcus Smith preferred as stand-off options.

Scrum-half Tomos Williams and flanker Jac Morgan are the only two Wales players included, an all-time low for a Lions tour.

Ireland captain Caelan Doris, who was a near-certainty to be picked and a captaincy contender, will miss the tour after suffering a shoulder injury in Leinster’s Champions Cup semi-final defeat by Northampton last weekend.

Backs

Bundee Aki (Connacht Rugby/Ireland)

Elliot Daly (Saracens/England)

Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints/England)

Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)

Mack Hansen (Connacht Rugby/Ireland)

Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland)

Hugo Keenan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)

Blair Kinghorn (Toulouse/Scotland)

James Lowe (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)

Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints/England)

Garry Ringrose (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)

Finn Russell (Bath Rugby/Scotland)

Fin Smith (Northampton Saints/England)

Marcus Smith (Harlequins/ England)

Sione Tuipulotu (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland)

Duhan van der Merwe (Edinburgh Rugby/Scotland)

Tomos Williams (Gloucester Rugby/Wales)

Forwards

Tadhg Beirne (Munster Rugby/Ireland)

Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers/England)

Jack Conan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)

Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks/England)

Scott Cummings (Glasgow Warriors/ Scotland)

Tom Curry (Sale Sharks/England)

Ben Earl (Saracens/England)

Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland)

Tadhg Furlong (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)

Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears/England)

Maro Itoje (Saracens/England) (capt)

Ronan Kelleher (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)

Joe McCarthy (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)

Jac Morgan (Ospreys/Wales)

Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints/England)

Andrew Porter (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)

James Ryan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)

Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh Rugby/Scotland)

Dan Sheehan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)

Will Stuart (Bath Rugby/England)

With the Lions squad announcement made in front of a live audience for the first time, it was Pollock’s inclusion that generated the most noise from about 2,000 fans inside Indigo, a venue within London’s O2 Arena complex.

His eye-catching line breaks, dogged breakdown work and confident, abrasive on-pitch persona, complete with pre-planned try celebrations, have made him the breakthrough star of the season.

After returning from winning the under-20 Rugby World Cup in South Africa last summer, Pollock has become a key part of Saints’ back row, scored two tries on his England debut against Wales in March and run amok in Northampton’s run to the Investec Champions Cup final on 24 May.

To fit him in among his back-row options, coach Farrell has overlooked Scotland’s in-form back row Jamie Ritchie, England’s Ben Curry, Toulouse’s Englishman Jack Willis and Welsh Lions veteran Taulupe Faletau.