The speech that told me England will go places under Steve Borthwick, Ireland can silence doubters by beating Boks - and Henry Pollock TikTok antics

The last year and a half of my England career was probably one of my favourite periods, because I think when you're out of the squad like I was, to come back in was really special. I loved the environment that Steve Borthwick had created straight away, because I was out a bit for the Eddie Jones period, before coming back into that environment in Australia, and I didn't like it whatsoever. It felt like something big needed to change, it felt quite toxic.

When Steve came in, I wasn't initially included in the squad, but then coming back in, it just felt different. Playing for England felt special again. It felt like the best of the best, like it should be. Obviously we had that great start with Steve with the 2023 World Cup. Then there was a little bit of a dip, but I think that was always going to happen.

He lost an awful lot of experience after that World Cup. You think of Courtney Lawes, Ben Youngs, Owen Farrell, Joe Marler, myself - there were a lot of us with a lot of caps that had been there for a while that left. So he took a load of stick, and he had to wear it, and Steve being Steve, he did, he wore it - not the team. He would always say, 'it's my fault, it's not the team, I didn't prepare the team well enough'.

I'm so glad now to see that all of that hard work, and that hurt and pain is paying off, because it's made the team better. It's made that coaching team better, it's made the players better, it's made the environment better.

I always believe now, having been through it myself, that you have to experience the lows to really appreciate the highs, and losing games sometimes are the best things for you, because it's the best way to learn, and England have learned the hard way of losing those games by fine margins. Now they're on the other side of that curve, and they're winning these games, and they've just got such momentum behind them. It seems like the whole country is properly gathered behind this team again, which is brilliant.

From being a fan of football, you can see the difference that that makes to that team. Everyone really believes in what they're seeing, and the fans can really relate to the players that are on the pitch. There are superstars on there that kids want to be and that fans want to see play. They see a team that is running, is working incredibly hard for each other, is playing some great rugby. And ultimately, sometimes people want to see teams that win, and I think that's what England have found that knack of doing at the minute. So I'm delighted for Steve and the team that they're now getting the plaudits they deserve.

I think Steve is still probably the most diligent coach I've ever worked with. I had a glimpse of it again a few weeks ago when I went into camp - he has already thought of every single detail before one of the players sticks their hand up and asks a question. Steve knows the answer, because he's gone through it all before.

I really liked the feel of the environment. I was in a team meeting, and Steve asked Jamie George to lead on the session and the chat before, rather than the coaches do it. He hands over a lot of the responsibility to the players at the back end of the week, which I think is huge, because players respond to players sometimes a little bit better than hearing the coach speak all the time, and I think Steve really understands that. And Jamie delivered these messages, which were brilliant - he speaks fantastically anyway, but he gave these messages, which were really clear, engaging and comical as well. I think the players really respond well to that. You could see all the players just taking it all in, asking questions and Jamie had the answers.

It was only a little moment, but it just felt to me like this team are onto something. If players feel comfortable enough to get up there and speak in front of everyone, and everyone on the playing side fully believes in what their leaders are saying, you're onto a good thing, and Steve fully believes in these leaders. The players follow the leadership, and I think that's something that stood out for me massively over these first three games - the leadership on the field. And off the field with the finishers too, because you have to say that they have been a revelation. The coaches are bringing them on at just the right time when they feel that they need something a little bit different, or need to shift momentum a little bit. I think the coaches are getting that bang on, the players are coming on and responding, and it's a really good recipe at the minute.

It's incredible that Henry Pollock has been named as one of the nominees for World Breakthrough Player of the Year. I'm a big football fan, and a comparison to someone like Wayne Rooney feels appropriate. He was someone that came into the fold really early, but already looked - I don't want to say the complete article - but Rooney definitely did. He looked like a Premier League striker, and a top one at that, aged 16, 17. Henry Pollock came into the Gallagher PREM young, starting at Northampton, we also saw a little bit of him with England U20s. He was doing stuff on the field and you're like, 'wow, that's special - but can he do it at the next level, can he do it at the top?' It turns out he can. He did it in massive games for Northampton in Europe, and in the Gallagher PREM. And now he's doing it at the very, very top.

It's a good sign when, if your team need a big moment, you seem to come up with it, and he keeps coming up with clutch moments. The pick-up against Australia is one of the best bits of skill you'll see all year, to pluck that left-handed on the run.

It's the eagerness to hunt down loose balls that I love about him. You saw it with the Lions in the summer, chased a lost cause, dived on the ball, and scored a try. He did pretty much exactly the same at the end of the game against New Zealand, where there was a loose ball and who's on it first? Henry Pollock, gets a couple of kicks on, almost ushers Tom Roebuck over, says, 'go on, mate, go and score that'.

He looks like he's been playing Test rugby for 10 years, which is probably the biggest compliment you can give him at the moment - that he just looks so established, so comfortable. And I still think there's loads more to come from him. I like the fact that Steve keeps putting him on the bench. I do like that. I think if you keep getting these big impacts from him, then keep playing him in that role.

He's living the dream right now, Henry Pollock. I saw the England team coaches congratulating Henry on being nominated for World Breakthrough Player of the Year, and he did some sort of TikTok reaction - I think it was anyway! He's just full of life, full of confidence, he is what he is. He's unapologetic in the way he is, which I think people really like, and I think he's a player that you want in your team, you don't want him against you.

I do think South Africa have been really unlucky with a couple of the decisions they've had this autumn, they can feel like they've been harshly done by. But what's scary is, whatever you seem to throw at that team at the moment, they seem to find ways to turn it to their advantage, or manage the game in a way that they still go and dominate and win.

They're the most fluid, fluent team in world rugby at the minute, with their hybrid players. My old mate Andre Esterhuizen, one of the best players that I've ever played with, looks like one of the best back rowers in the world right now. He's now doing it in that position, he always joked about it at Harlequins, saying that's where he'll probably end up. And he's doing it now at the highest level, and looks right at home.

There's a bit of spice there between Ireland and South Africa with everything that happened in the World Cup a couple of years ago. Rassie Erasmus has never won in Ireland, which is another thing that I think is just going to fuel this South African side.

I run out of superlatives and compliments to give South Africa. I love watching them. They look like a club team, rather than an international team, in terms of how tight they are, how much fun they're having, how much it means to play for each other, what they're playing for, that shirt. I see them going to Ireland and getting the job done. I think they're just too strong for everyone at the moment. I see South Africa winning by three to five points.

However, the momentum that Ireland would take into the Six Nations if they could get a win over South Africa, over the best team in the world, would be massive. England have had their big win, a momentum-changing win, to get 10 in a row against New Zealand.

I think there are a few people, rightly or wrongly, asking a few questions about Ireland, and whether they're on a bit of a downward slump. I still look at the quality in their squad and think it's frightening. It's frighteningly good. They've got the ability to beat anyone on their day, I still believe that, and they can absolutely beat South Africa on Saturday night. They've got the game plan to do it, they've got the players to do it.

My only worry is, do they have the physicality to match them? If they can match them physically, then why not? It sounds really simple, but that's going to be where this game is ultimately won or lost, and I think it's going to be the finest of margins, of who gets to win, but I just see South Africa having a little bit too much for them.

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