Social Media Moments of the Week: Henry Pollock divides opinion with try celebration 

By Charlie Elliott

As the weekend of rugby draws to a close, the discourse around the sport continues to bubble away. 

The Champions and Challenge Cups saw some great rugby being played and some very surprising results, no more so than Northampton Saints beating Leinster 37-24 in Dublin, thanks to some standout performances from British and Irish Lions hopefuls. 

With the Lions tour set to be announced this Thursday, talks on who should be selected have reached an all-time high, and so many players are in contention. 

As always, fans have something to say about everything and for every agreement, there comes a disagreement. 

Here are some of the biggest social media talking points from this weekend. 

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Surprises in the Champions Cup 

Most of what people have been talking about this weekend has been focused around the Champions Cup semi-finals, given that they are such a big occasion and massively delivered on the pitch. 

Bordeaux-Begles beating Toulouse was a bit of a surprise, but not entirely out of nowhere given that they have beaten them twice already this season. 

But Northampton Saints‘ win away at Leinster came massively out of nowhere, with Saints currently occupying seventh place in the Premiership, whilst Leinster have been touted as potentially being the best club side in the world and amongst the top three Test teams if they played internationally. 

This gulf, as well as the perceived arrogance that many believe the Dublin sides fans to have, has meant that people online have been relentless in their criticism of the URC team following their defeat. 

Some have called it ‘the biggest bottle of all time’ and have suggested that the side lack the motivation to succeed, and that the system of Irish rugby that has allowed them to have so many good players has worked against them. 

Whatever the cause, many fans seem to have found joy in their defeat and really enjoyed seeing an underdog win.  

Henry Pollock’s Celebration 

Pollock is the real deal and is one of the most exciting young talents to watch in rugby at the moment, both on and off the pitch. 

He put in a mammoth shift in Saints’ win over Leinster and scored a lovely try where he ran around Sam Prendergast amongst other good moments. 

Fans have been talking about his celebration more than the try itself, after he checked his pulse in front of the home fans following his score. 

A truly cold moment, this kid has absolutely everything going for him at the moment and looks to be the real deal. 

There has been the usual discourse as to whether it is arrogance, but the truth is that Pollock is good enough to do what he wants, and anyone trying to stop him showing his personality is stifling potentially one of the greatest entertainers this sport has ever seen. 

Ardie Savea’s football skills 

Savea came up with the moment of the weekend in the Super Rugby Pacific, scoring a brilliant try in Moana Pasifika’s 34-19 away win against the Highlanders. 

He showed some footballing skills out wide to dribble down the line and finish brilliantly while under pressure from a defender. 

A brilliant player who has always been capable of magic moments, Savea showed why he is so loved and so highly rated by so many fans. 

Lions talk heats up 

The Lions squad is set to be released this Thursday, so the social media discourse as to who should and shouldn’t go has been heating up this weekend. 

Performances this weekend may be too late to change Andy Farrell‘s mind, but given the reactionary nature of a lot of fans will be enough to convince them that a number of players could be on the plane. 

Whoever ends up going, there will be some who agree and some who don’t; such is the case when there are so many quality players involved. 

There is a genuine sense of excitement around who will be selected. 

Louis Bielle-Biarrey’s Insane Try-Scoring Record 

Another youngster who is on another planet, Bordeaux winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey, has had an unbelievable season so far. 

He maintained his try-scoring record of over one a game in their win over Toulouse, where he scored a brace. 

That takes him up to 30 tries in 26 matches this season, and there is now genuine talk as to where it ranks in terms of individual seasons from a winger. 

While it may not be the best of all time, it is definitely not a million miles away, and the kid is special. 

France fans have understandably been hyping him up after this weekend online. 

READ MORE: Champions Cup Team of the Week – Northampton Saints’ Lions hopefuls help deliver historic upset