ROBBIE HENSHAW SAYS a desire to continue lining out for both Ireland and Leinster were key factors behind his decision to sign a new contract extension with the IRFU.
An international debutant against USA in June 2013, the 31-year-old has won five Six Nations Championships in the green of Ireland – including the Grand Slam triumphs of 2018 and 2023.
After helping Connacht to win an historic Pro12 title in 2016, the Westmeath native subsequently moved to Leinster and has won five major pieces of silverware across 95 appearances for the eastern province.
In addition to spending his entire career to date as a professional rugby player on these shores, Henshaw is surrounded by his family and this also had a part to play in him extending his IRFU deal until the 2027/28 season.
“Probably a process of staying at home, staying around my family. I’m very close with my family. Staying here and playing for Ireland was a huge thing. I feel like I have a lot more to give. That was obviously top of the list for me and staying in Dublin, playing for Leinster,” Henshaw explained at a media briefing in UCD ahead of Leinster’s United Rugby Championship duel with Munster on Friday.
“The system they have here, they have the right balance in terms of player management and player load, the high performance aspect. Everything is aligned for me to prefer staying here. I’ve never moved too far from home, so it wouldn’t have been top of the list. I’m a home bird and I like being close to my family as well.”
While there is a lot of rugby to be played before then, this new deal ensures that Henshaw will still be contracted to the IRFU when the next Rugby World Cup takes place in Australia three years from now.
Having been part of Ireland squads that exited the RWC at the quarter-final stage in 2015, 2019 and 2023 – albeit he didn’t feature in last year’s knockout reversal against New Zealand due to injury – Henshaw acknowledged there is a sense of ‘unfinished business’ on the international stage.
The past three seasons has also seen Henshaw and Leinster falling short at the business end of both the United Rugby Championship and the European Champions Cup, and this is something he is eager to rectify in the near future.
“Hopefully coming into that season [2027], depending on how good the body is and what my form is like, it is definitely on my goals list to give it one more crack. Because definitely I haven’t got the best out of myself in the last two World Cups I’ve been at [because of injury]. It’s been turbulent for me and it’s definitely one that feels like it is a bit of unfinished business.
“Our north star this year in Leinster is chasing the fifth star and also the URC. We’re desperately close the last couple of years, but it’s driving us on even more to just keep going and keep going for it.
“The group is good and we know we’ve a bit to grow. We’ve a bit more to do in terms of our performances. We need to tidy up a few bits, but to have a good winning streak from the start of the season as well and to show that we haven’t hit 100% yet is positive.”
Interestingly, Henshaw stated that he might have potentially looked at a move abroad if he found himself on the verge of being out of the picture with Ireland. Yet considering he started 10 of the 11 games that Andy Farrell’s side played in 2024, this doesn’t look like being the case any time soon for a man who maintains a great passion for Irish traditional music.
“You probably don’t realise how good it is until you leave. For me, if I was at that stage where things were dropping off for me and I was playing more regularly here [Leinster] and not as much in green, then potentially that could have been an option,” Henshaw added.
“It would be hard to find a trad session in France or Japan! That would be a big factor! Some players have had a great experience, who have played abroad. It’s down to the individual’s personality and what you want.
“From most players I’ve heard, not many have gone, but most guys have enjoyed their experience of having a different challenge in a different country.”
Great player, even though I think he could have his central contract taken away or reduced. I like the idea suggested in the comments here of a partial funding by IRFU, the rest paid by the club. This could make it easier on club budgets for provinces having few players on central contracts (Connacht and Ulster) and having high potential players coming through that could be rewarded with further IRFU funding.
Leinster need to focus this year on URC as they have a greater chance of winning it, CC thereafter. CC this year is a lot more competitive than last year and Leinster is not playing as well as they did last year.
@Con Cussed: in the partial funded model would clubs have more control over their players. The irfu have basically flogged porter, doris, Mccarthy, jvdf and then come out with player management lines on when and how leinster use them. That’s fair enough when they pay the wages.
@chris mcdonnell: Fair enough maybe but not sustainable. Lack of players being used as reasonable early replacements or starters against “weaker” opponents is not good preparation for the biggest competition where through injury you may be without some of those guys.
@Con Cussed: taken away are reduced what kind of statement is that
A boy Robbie,sher where else would you want to be !!