FOR A MAN who has appeared in five Wolfhounds squads in the past three years, Chris Henry would not be put out to miss out on ‘A’ team action this Friday.
The Ulster flanker finally made his mark on the Irish squad in the November Series and was one of his country’s most consistent players, at openside flanker, against South Africa and Argentina.
The impression most Irish supporters had was that Henry would act as caretaker for the role until Sean O’Brien returned from his hip injury.
However, notable outings in green and during Ulster’s fantastic start to the 2012/13 season have forced many to think again.
With his provincial teammate Stephen Ferris not due to return to action until March, O’Brien could well be shifted to the blindside.
Henry, the man in possession of the seven jersey, can look forward to taking on Justin Tipuric, Sam warburton and company at the Millennium Stadium on 2 February.
Mixed feelings
With two provinces [Leinster and Connacht] out of the Heineken Cup, Henry admitted that some players were in better spirits than others when the Irish squad assembled in Maynooth.
He told TheScore.ie, “There’s mixed feelings at the moment but, luckily, everyone is talking to each other, which is good.
That’s part of the challenge now, putting [the Heineken Cup] to bed quickly. That’s one of the things we discussed about coming into the came.
“Everyone has to get focused as early as possible for the upcoming games but the players are very professional sand I have no doubt that they will do that.”
Henry, the Ulster captain in the absence of Johann Muller, praised the work ethic within the Irish squad and spoke about the boost good European runs have brought to his game.
“There’s so much competition,” he said, “that it is about giving yourself the best opportunity that, if it comes, you’ll be prepared and will play as best as you can… Everyone knows that, up until now, the big European games are the platforms to perform well.”
He adds that the 46-24 win over Argentina boosted the squad after the frustration of losing narrowly to South Africa.
“To finish that [series], in the Argentina game, with a good win but, more importantly, a good performance was vital,” he commented.
“There were a lot of injuries too and a lot of guys stood up… We have to use what we got out of that series in the right way.”
