Henry Pollock has forced his way to the centre of England's selection debate, and a chorus of former internationals wants Steve Borthwick to stop resisting.
The 21-year-old Northampton Saints back-rower came off the bench to score a hat-trick in England's 73-8 Nations Championship rout of a 14-man Fiji, adding 75 metres from four carries, two clean linebreaks, five defenders beaten and a turnover in a cameo that overshadowed the starters. It was the kind of impact that has followed Pollock through his short career: six tries in 12 caps, 11 of which have come as a replacement.
The former England players in the studio had seen enough. "Stop messing about and put him in," said Chris Ashton. Ben Youngs was blunter still: "Just start him, please!" Jeremy Guscott joined the calls for the young forward to be promoted for the upcoming Test against Argentina.
Pollock is not hiding his ambition either. "A big thing for me at the minute is wanting to get that starting shirt," he said.
Borthwick, though, has been careful. The England head coach refused to guarantee Pollock a start against the Pumas and has hinted the 21-year-old may remain a high-impact finisher for now, a role in which he has been devastating. The dilemma is one of balance rather than merit: Pollock can play openside or No.8 and likes to roam, which means England need ballast around him.
Planet Rugby's predicted side pairs Pollock at No.8 with Ben Earl at openside, "two genuine carriers of the ball, particularly in the tight", and Ollie Chessum at blindside, a combination built to stand up to Argentina's powerful back row. An injury to scrum-half Alex Mitchell may also force Borthwick to abandon his preferred six-two bench split in favour of five forwards and three backs.
There is a knock-on effect further out. Noah Caluori, who scored with a try-scoring cameo of his own against Fiji, is pushing to retain a bench spot but faces competition from Tom Roebuck.
For all the noise, the case for Pollock is straightforward. England have a young forward who changes games every time he walks on, a home crowd that roars when he touches the ball, and an Argentina side that will test their pack. Whether Borthwick trusts him from the first minute or keeps the trump card for the closing stages is the call that will define his week.
