Six Nations: Pollock unleashed & Lawrence returns
Rugby Union Weekly
BBC
4.6 • 5.3K Ratings
🗓️ 18 February 2026
⏱️ 52 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Henry Pollock gets his first England start. Ollie Lawrence returns. Tommy Freeman is back on the wing. Tom Curry starts. There is plenty for Chris and Ugo to unpick from the England team to face Ireland on Saturday. Why has there been so many changes? Is it a reflection of the performance against Scotland? We are joined by Steve Borthwick who talks through the changes in the midfield and back row and why he felt Henry Arundell deserved another shot after his red card against Scotland. Ollie Lawrence is also on the pod. He chats to us about renewing his partnership with Fraser Dingwall and battling with Freeman for the number 13 shirt. We also go deep into his hair regime and find out why he’s unable to get his haircut until England head to Rome in March.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts. |
| 0:07.0 | Steve Bracknelly, are the assistant manager of Sunday League team, the Royal Oak FC. |
| 0:12.0 | Are you sick of changes to our beautiful game? |
| 0:15.0 | Five minute stoppages for VAR checks. |
| 0:17.0 | VAR, the talking point again after a five minute plus delay. |
| 0:20.0 | Cryotherapy ice chambers. |
| 0:22.9 | Ols in back at socks. |
| 0:25.3 | XG double pivots and inferred wingbacks. |
| 0:28.2 | The game's well and truly gone and I'm here to bring it back. |
| 0:31.9 | Games gone. |
| 0:32.9 | The Steve Bracknell podcast. |
| 0:34.9 | Listen on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:38.0 | Five Lives Rugby Union Weekly. |
| 0:42.4 | Okay, Robby Union Weekly, Tuesday afternoon, England Team Hotel. |
| 0:45.6 | England team has been named for Ireland. |
| 0:48.8 | Weekend three of the Six Nations, Zook. |
| 0:50.4 | It feels weird, doesn't it? |
| 0:51.5 | Three in a row. |
| 0:52.4 | I like it. |
| 0:53.9 | I do as well, actually. A fallow would have felt potentially needed, but also... Who do you think needs a fallow or needed a fallow who would be happy just to keep going? I think England want to... Journalists are not included in this by the way. I'm going to say say like, you know, a lot of red meat the last few weeks. I think, as Ashley said, England want to get back into it. Yeah. Do Wales want to take stock for a week? Maybe. You're wincing. I don't know. No, I know. We don don't know I don't know what's my health for |
| 1:28.8 | England want to get back into it |
| 1:30.1 | I think Wales maybe want to take stock |
... |
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