ONE OF THE defining images of Ireland’s World Cup campaign so far is the team gathering in a huddle in the closing minutes of the win over South Africa.
With the match on the line, they collectively inhale deeply, pause, and exhale slowly. A moment of calm amid the storm. Then they all look to Iain Henderson, who has a few words before they return to battle.
Henderson was Ireland captain at that stage, Johnny Sexton having been taken off. It was a brief insight into the important role the Ulster man is playing for Ireland at this World Cup.
His form has been strong since the first warm-up game against Italy, for which Henderson was skipper. He was on the bench for the opening three pool games against Romania, Tonga, and the Springboks as Andy Farrell preferred Tadhg Beirne and James Ryan as his second row, but then Henderson started ahead of Ryan last weekend against Scotland.
Injury has ruled Ryan out of tomorrow’s quarter-final against New Zealand [KO 8pm Irish time, Virgin Media] but Henderson had done enough against the Scots to keep his place anyway.
At the age of 31 and injury-free, Ulster captain Henderson is playing some of his best rugby. He has often been plagued by injuries but Henderson didn’t miss a single training session in Ireland’s pre-season over the summer.
The results are obvious, with Henderson looking as explosive as he has in a long time. At times in recent years, as he was hit by setbacks, Irish fans might even have forgotten just how dynamic the 6ft 6ins lock is.
“He’s got this sort of freakish strength and ability in carrying, sort of swatting guys off and churning the legs,” says Ulster forwards coach Roddy Grant, who has worked closely with Henderson since 2019.
“It’s awesome seeing him game after game having really big moments. He’s playing really well. He’ll want to get even better and will get better, but it’s a joy to see someone in that frame.”
Former Ireland lock Mike McCarthy, who was part of the international set-up when Henderson first started to break through, says the sheer athleticism has always been obvious in the Ulster man.
“He can give it out physically and he can take a hiding himself as well,” says McCarthy. “I remember him running over the top of me for Ulster. Defence was probably one of my strengths, I was a good tackler, but Hendy’s dynamism was obvious.
“The power he can generate from a very short distance, a short couple of steps into you, whether he’s picking and going, running a hard line off 10, the power he can generate allows him to get over the gainline.
“Even if he has two people tackling him, he seems to generate momentum and draw in defenders to create space for other people and allow them to play well.
“He is a specimen. He’s mobile and fit. That mobility and engine allow him to have repetitive positive impacts in a game.”
McCarthy was playing for Ireland the day in 2012 when Henderson made his Test debut against the Springboks in a 16-12 defeat for Declan Kidney’s side.
Henderson was viewed as a blindside flanker as much as a lock back then, while there were question marks about his application, which proved to be unwarranted.
“I remember him coming in as a young fella and he was a bit of a messer, a bit of a joker like me, and liked having a bit of craic,” says McCarthy.
“I think the feeling within the older, more serious lads was that he was a bit of a space cadet and maybe at the start people wondered if this lad really cared because he seemed so chilled-out and so laidback.
“But once you got to know him, you realised that he cared an incredible amount. He’s hugely competitive. He’s a great bloke off the pitch, a great person. On the pitch, he’s a warrior.”
You don’t earn 78 Ireland caps, play in three World Cups, and go on two Lions tours without being a world-class player who takes their job very seriously. Henderson has been part of two Grand Slam victories and a further two Six Nations titles with Ireland.
That vast experience is now obvious in his game. Grant can see how all the nous is coming through now. Big games for Ulster and Ireland, learning from the likes of Rory Best and Sexton and other captains – all of it is coming together.
“When you go into the depth of experience he has, he’s using all of that currently,” says Grant.
“He has two kids, life experience, it all seems to be coming together with his professional experience and life experience. It seems he’s in that sweet spot, that purple patch.”
McCarthy explains how experience in Test rugby breeds more confidence and an ability to put mistakes behind you and focus on winning the next moment, as well as helping you to work smarter. He can see that in Henderson.
“You become cleverer and learn shortcuts, which help you conserve energy and enable you to have stronger impacts when the time comes for a big involvement,” says McCarthy.
“Lines of running, shortcuts to get to breakdowns, making good decisions when to go for approach rather than in your early career when you were running around like a headless chicken expending crazy amounts of energy, leaving you feeling exhausted at the points you want to have the biggest impact.”
Henderson has plenty of important roles tomorrow, including scrummaging on the more taxing tighthead side of the second row, as well as nailing kick-off receipts and throwing the kind of deft passes that have always been a feature of his game.
As crucial as anything will be his leadership of the lineout. Ireland had difficulties there against South Africa but with Henderson coming in as the caller against Scotland, they successfully won all 12 of their throws and made two steals through Peter O’Mahony.
Henderson will be targeting similar against the All Blacks.
“The lineout is important to him and he gets enjoyment from it,” says Grant. “He’s diligent, he thinks about it, challenges others’ thinking on it. Athletically, he’s very good at moving in the lineout, jumping really quickly, he has dexterity in his handling.
“Like his play around the pitch, he loves the physical element. You get that with mauling and maul defense. You’ve got to want it and understand it.”
Grant even explains that Henderson being a student of Mathematics possibly helps with his lineout work.
“The older I’ve got, I’ve realised there’s crossovers in everything. Whether it’s mindset and mentality or even physics. I’m not academic but there’s a lot of physics in rugby – velocity, momentum. Hendy gets it. His Maths degree potentially helps his understanding and delivering it to players around him.”
McCarthy recalls Henderson taking on the lineout calling duties for one of the first times with Ireland.
“The calling didn’t go particularly well in training during the week but he absolutely nailed it in the game,” says the former Connacht and Leinster lock.
“That’s a strength of his, being able to deal with that pressure. For Hendy to be able to do that in a short space of time shows what he’s like under pressure. That rubs off on everyone else.”
That infectious sense of composure is something Farrell and Ireland like about Henderson.
They hope that his unflappable nature is mirrored by all of his team-mates in this huge quarter-final tomorrow. While Henderson’s athleticism is key to what he brings, his brain is as important.
“He is calm in how he articulates messages,” says Grant. “He’s quite cerebral. He’s a really intelligent guy too, emotionally intelligent through the experience he has of different groups and players and games.
“You build up a wealth of knowledge. He has a lot of friends who have been leaders as well, so that helps with your awareness. He will problem-solve and really think.”