‘In proving what an asset he is to the England bench, Pollock has made starting Tests a good deal harder for himself’

Eddie Hearn will have a Cheshire Cat smile after Henry Pollock’s latest deluge of headlines.

Pollock’s unerring ability to attract attention and feed his growing profile regardless of the circumstances must make Hearn feel he’s made a smart shot.

He may not have known too much about rugby in June when he dipped his toe and signed Pollock up with his Matchroom Talent Agency, but he certainly knows star quality, and Pollock clearly has that in spades.

He made Pollock his first rugby acquisition because he saw in the bleached blonde backside a personality that could transcend his sport. Well, the 21-year-old is still doing it.

Pollock’s two tries, deployed as an emergency wing Australia at the Allianz Stadium, it only served to reinforce his ability to work outside the normal lines of play.

When Manny Feyi-Waboso went down, there was no question of simply being a stop gap, making up numbers. Instead, Pollock took the opportunity to dominate the stage.

It was typical Pollock and a stunning contribution, but perhaps not as useful to the grand scheme of things as he and Hearn might have hoped.

To borrow from a world with which Hearn is far more familiar, a career plan for Pollock would involve him being top of the bill with England rather than on the undercard.

This autumn could be Pollock’s moment to convince Borthwick of his value in the front line, but the danger is that his success as an emergency wing has pushed him even further as a key member of the back-up crew.

While he proved to Steve Borthwick that his hunch that he had a striker who could double as a winger was correct, Pollock had just reduced his importance as a bench cover.

The England The head coach was already leaning heavily in that direction anyway. Only one of Pollock’s 14 appearances so far has come as a starter.

Pollock may have thought he would be the next cabbie in the ranks when Tom Curry was ruled out of the side to play the Wallabies, but instead it was his Curry twin Ben who was called up to start in his place.

This autumn could have been Pollock’s moment to convince Borthwick of his worth on the front line – he is Lions a tourist after all – but the danger is that his success as an emergency wing has endeared him even more as an essential member of the reserve crew. Versatility can be a curse as well as a blessing.

The ‘Pom Team’ 6-2 split was so effective at the Allianz Stadium that the England manager must be tempted to use it again when the next big challenge arrives against All black people a week on Saturday. Strike from the bench like Ellis Genge and George Martin kept Australia firmly on the back foot.

Now he knows he can rely on Pollock as a winger if needed during the match.

Of course, just because Pollock pulled off a backline trick once doesn’t mean it will always work. Other opposition might be smarter about how they would test the rookie wing. Australia didn’t send him a single high ball on Saturday.

Pollock also owed a debt of gratitude to George Furbank and Henry Slade, who guided him around the field because he lacked the ingrained defensive awareness that career wings require.

Throw Pollock a paintbrush and place him in front of an easel and he would most likely convince himself that he is the next Van Gogh.

He has, however, proven – with his speed and skill on the ball – that he can make a very fleeting impression of the real thing if needed.

The confidence with which Pollock accepts each new challenge that comes his way is something.

Throw him a paintbrush and place him in front of the easel and he would most likely be able to convince himself that he is the next Van Gogh.

Give him some flour, sugar, butter and eggs and he’ll imagine himself winning the Bake Off.

If exposure is the less attractive side of that boundless confidence, then perhaps that’s the price to pay. England have a special individual on their hands.

And, in the same way that Andre Esterhuizen’s ability to play a hybrid forward/back role helped South Africa, England now have similar positional fluidity. Like Pollock to cover the wing, Ben Earl is capable of covering the center.

The fact that Earl has been moved as a back-row starter in the middle of the match should offer some hope to Pollock that he could be considered in a similar way, but for the foreseeable future it looks like he will be included as a bench player.

Patience is often needed at the beginning of an international career. Jamie George’s first 18 games came off the bench. Earl’s first 15 did the same.

And gone are the days when role reversal meant no participation. The Bath whore Graham Dawe sat unused kicking his heels on the England bench 34 times in the late 1980s and early 90s. But dress the substitutes as finishers or impact players all you want, everyone still wants to start.

In the end, the only solution will be for him to make the irresponsible argument to Borthwick that he can bring so much influence to the 80-minute game he must start.

It could be that Borthwick is giving Pollock a run Japan this weekend. With Tom Curry out of the rest Nations Championship and Ollie Chessum are missing this week, there are empty spots in the back row to fill. But if it were to happen, it should not be considered a signpost for the future.

Pollock has been classified by England’s head coach as a super-sub, who uses his pace and infectious energy – whether as a striker or a full-back – against tiring opposition. It might make sense from a strategic point of view, but it doesn’t make it any easier for the player.

Pollock looks like he’s just going to wait.

In the end, the only solution will be for him to make the irresponsible argument to Borthwick that he can bring so much influence to the 80-minute game he must start.

The irony is that he proved how good he is for the bench over the weekend, making it that much harder on himself.