England’s young stars Henry Pollock and Noah Caluori are targeting starting for their country after scoring tries in Saturday’s 73-8 thrashing of Fiji.
Pollock, 21, claimed a hat-trick after being introduced as a 48th-minute replacement at Hill Dickinson Stadium, while 19-year-old Caluori, making his debut off the bench, set up a score for Henry Slade before diving over himself.
“A big thing for me at the minute is wanting to get that starting shirt,” said Pollock, who has started only once in 12 Test appearances for England.
“Steve [Borthwick] said to me before the Fiji game to just go out there and be myself. I hope I did that and hope he saw enough in me.”
Pollock acknowledged that England’s strength in depth is “crazy good” with Ollie Chessum, Tom Curry, Guy Pepper and Ben Earl also vying for position in the back row.
However, a strong end to the season with club side Northampton, combined with six Test tries in his short international career, have prompted calls for Pollock to be given a run from the start.
“I’m just trying to focus on myself and focus on my performances. Hopefully on the back of that I’ll get results,” added Pollock.
Saracens’ Caluori, who finished joint top of the Prem try-scoring standings this season, will also have to see off some substantial rivals if he is to secure a long-term starting spot.
