England's Pollock, 20, named in British and Irish Lions squad

LONDON :Henry Pollock's class and energy were more important than his callow age, Andy Farrell said on Thursday after the 20-year-old England flanker was the standout selection in his 38-man British & Irish Lions squad to tour Australia.

Pollock, with only 32 minutes of international rugby under his belt and who was playing for England Under-20s earlier this year, has made an irresistible case since, capping it off with a superb display for Northampton against Leinster in the Champions Cup last weekend.

"I've watched him a couple of times live and I like what I see," Farrell said after announcing his squad in front of 2,000 fans in London's O2 Arena.

"He's trying to make a difference, there's an energy and a bounce about him and that’s what I like seeing in his game. If you are good enough, you are old enough."

After confirming the widely-expected appointment of England lock Maro Itoje as captain, the rest of the tourists were revealed in alphabetical order as forwards, then backs.

They comprised 15 Irishmen, including 12 from Leinster, 13 English, eight Scots and only two Welsh, a reflection of their dire run of 17 successive defeats.

In comparison with recent tours it is a relatively inexperienced group, arguably short on proven world-class talent but with a youthful energy that Farrell values.

There are 26 players on their first tour and nine on their second - most of those from the COVID-hit 2021 trip to South Africa - and Farrell said the influence of Itoje, the coaching team and the other players who have been exposed to the chaos and scale of a Lions tour, would be hugely important.

There was no place for Farrell's son Owen or Ireland's Sam Prendergast as the three flyhalf berths went to Marcus Smith, Fin Smith and Finn