Updated 8.20
IT IS RARE that Ireland is blessed with a player of exceptional natural athletic capabilities.
Sean O’Brien’s power stands out within the current squad, while Jamie Heaslip’s ability to stay fit has been nothing short of incredible. Stephen Ferris would be the greatest specimen of them all if he could remain free of injury but alas, luck has been cruel to the Ulster man.
Cian Healy is possibly the last player who burst onto the international scene looking physically ready to take on anyone. The Clontarf man’s exploits in the gym as a schoolboy meant he had been earmarked as a future international from the beginning. Now Ireland has the fortune of possessing two such physically advanced players in Robbie Henshaw and Iain Henderson.
The Connacht centre weighs in at close to 100kg but at 6ft 1ins, he certainly has more muscle to pack on. Even still, Henshaw is particularly powerful for a 20-year-old. His form since reverting to his natural position of outside centre has been good and he offers a confrontational, direct style in the 13 shirt. Henshaw is ready to add to his two Ireland caps in terms of athletic ability, although it is in his game sense and decision-making where he still has much to learn.
Henderson is another lump of a young man, standing 6ft 6ins and tipping the scales at around 116kg. Again, it is rare for an Irish lock to be so developed at the age of 21. The Ulster man also still has work to do in terms of ensuring that every ounce of his weight is explosive muscle, but he is impressively powerful already.
The argument will be made that Henderson needs to be starting for his province if he is going to be involved for Ireland, and generally that is a sensible guiding principle for international selectors. However, in this case Joe Schmidt must make an exception. The sooner Henderson gets international exposure the better; he is a player of rare potential and he will only get a deeper understanding of the intricacies of second row play by testing himself at the highest level.
Even off the bench for Ulster, Henderson’s impact has been excellent. His ball carrying, work rate and offloading added so much to Mark Anscombe’s side in the closing 30 minutes of the games against Leicester and Montpellier in the Heineken Cup. The 21-year-old could certainly perform a similar role for Ireland this season. Make no doubt about it, if Henderson was a Kiwi or an Aussie, there would be a strong argument for including him in the starting team.
Schmidt is acutely aware of how good Henshaw and Henderson can be and now must find a way to include the pair in Ireland’s plans for the coming season. Giving Henshaw a game at 13 against Samoa would be a wise move, while Henderson should feature whenever he returns from a toe injury. Having men like Brian O’Driscoll and Paul O’Connell mentoring the youngsters is another step that has surely already been taken.
Nurturing key players of the future is just as important as the immediate results, and in Henshaw and Henderson, Ireland have two youngsters with the physical abilities to kick-start their international stardom this season. Their aim should be to make themselves undroppable when their chance comes.
- Originally published 06.30
