Henry Pollock has been nominated for the World Rugby Player of the Year award

England winger Henry Pollock has been nominated for World Rugby’s Player of the Year.

The 20-year-old’s dramatic rise includes two tries on his England debut against Wales in March, before being selected for the British and Irish Lions’ tour of Australia.

Although he did not feature in the Lions Test, he continued to impress for England, scoring a vital try against Australia at the start of November.

Northampton’s Pollock is known for his high energy, pace and tremendous work rate, which has been used to good effect off the bench this autumn.

Other candidates are Dutch-born New Zealander Fabian Holland, South African winger Ethan Hooker and Australian Blades star Joseph Okosu-Swale.

French winger Louis-Bel-Billard, who was named the 2025 Six Nations Player of the Year, has been nominated for the World Rugby Player of the Year award.

The 22-year-old scored eight tries – a record in a single tournament – as France lifted the title for the 19th time.

Last year’s winner Pieter-Steph du Toit, who also won the award in 2019, has been nominated again after helping South Africa win back-to-back rugby championships.

Fellow Springboks Malcolm Marks and Oakes Nshi are also in the running for the award, with Rassie Erasmus’ side topping the world rankings after an impressive year.

The winners of the two awards and the men’s best international attempt will be announced on Saturday.

Canada lock Sophie De Guidi was named Women’s Player of the Year in September, while England’s World Cup-winning coach John Mitchell was named World Rugby Coach of the Year.