Bordeaux-Begles star sets sights on reunion with ‘awesome player’ and ‘great competitor’ Henry Pollock on British & Irish Lions tour
Bordeaux-Begles back-row Pete Samu and Northampton Saints counterpart Henry Pollock.
Experienced Bordeaux-Begles number eight Pete Samu has described promising Northampton Saints counterpart Henry Pollock as ‘an awesome player’ after facing him recently.
Bordeaux and the Saints went head-to-head in last weekend’s Investec Champions Cup final in Cardiff, which the French outfit won 28-20, but the match was marred by an ugly incident at the full-time whistle in which several Bordeaux players got involved in a scuffle with the 20-year-old Saints star.
Jefferson Poirot suspended
Pollock seemingly had his throat grabbed by UBB front-row Jefferson Poirot, who was cited for an act contrary to good sportsmanship, and after appearing before a disciplinary panel, he received a two-match suspension.
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There have also been several pictures of Bordeaux players and staff mocking the youngster by mimicking his ‘pulse-check’ celebration.
Samu, however, had nothing but praise for the British & Irish Lions star and said he hopes to have a reunion with Pollock when the famous touring side visits Australia in the summer.
The 33-year-old’s stint with Bordeaux will come to an end of the current Top 14 campaign as he is returning to Australia to join the Waratahs and is hoping to play against Pollock again on the Lions tour.
“He’s an awesome player,” Samu told AFP. “He’s really young and has a bright future ahead of him.
‘A great competitor’
“Out there he’s a great competitor and you see that in this competition (Champions Cup) and in the Premiership.
“A great player, I wish him all the best and hopefully see him in a couple of months.”
Bordeaux’s Champions Cup triumph was a significant one as it was the first time the club had won a major trophy after being founded in 2006 and there were wild celebrations when the team returned to France.
There were than 40,000 people in attendance to witness the team’s bus parade and victory ceremony in Bordeaux.
“It’s a great feeling,” added Samu, who has won 33 Test caps for the Wallabies.
“That’s been the plan for the club for the past couple of seasons and to come away with it is very satisfying.”
