Lions boss Farrell hails hunger and humble nature of Saints forward Pollock

Pollock will line up at No.8 in the clash with Western Force in Perth on Saturday (kick-off 11am BST).

The 20-year-old came off the bench during the narrow defeat to Argentina at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin last weekend.

And he has been impressing boss Farrell, earning the Saints back row forward a chance to start in the first game of the tour of Australia.

"He's certainly not overawed which is great - I love that," Farrell said. "You want kids to be themselves, you don't want a kid to just be under the radar and in three weeks' time just settle into a side.

"You're picked for a reason, he's a Lion like the eldest player, there's no difference whatsoever. His character is one that is infectious to everyone, he's a great lad.

"I love (the confidence and swagger), you want them to be that but he’s a humble kid as well, he doesn’t think he's got it all, he's far from that. But you want people with confidence and belief and that helps when you take the field."

Farrell has not only been impressed by Pollock's playing ability, but also his sheer desire to succeed.

He added: "He's not been a pest, definitely not, he's been great. You can see he's hungry to learn and that’s perfect because you can see he's got a real point of difference.

"Henry is hungry to make a difference that whole time, but he also understands which parts of his game he needs to improve - he's got a great attitude as far as that's concerned."

As ever, Pollock's presence has been a huge talking point, with the Australian media keen to ask about him.

And in response to one question during the pre-match press conference, Farrell said: "I can obviously tell now that you're trying to hype him up.

"Honestly, believe me, he's just another player like everyone else and that’s how he wants to be. He's just being himself, he doesn't know any different.

"Obviously, his point of difference is his ability to see things quickly and act upon that.

"His line running for example is pretty good, his self awareness of space and how sharp he is in his mind, and his athletic ability is something that's up there with the other lads in the squad."