Will Henson get his groove back?
- 26 Jan 07, 05:00 PM
Cardiff - Apparently, Gavin Henson has into the Wales number 15 shirt for the Six Nations opener against Ireland on Sunday week.
Wales have requested he has a run-out at full-back this weekend for the , as national coach Gareth Jenkins seems to be running out of backs.
Wings Shane Williams and Mark Jones are crocked, full-back Lee Byrne and centre Sonny Parker are very crocked, fellow midfield man Tom Shanklin is struggling with a thigh strain, while hanging over him.
I don't think full-back is Henson's ideal position, especially if you look back at the 2005 vintage at inside centre which, in harness with Shanklin, was so integral to .
There's no doubt Henson's huge kicks will be a weapon from 15, plus the 24-year-old has the pace and eye to come into the line.
If he could just curb his instinct to shoulder-charge opponents rather than use his arms in the tackle I'd be happier with Henson as a last line of defence, though I'm sure if I'd picked up as many shoulder "stingers" and undergone my instincts would be different as well.
But it's symptomatic of the , and from where it is only really emerging from now.
Toast of Wales after the Grand Slam, spirit battered on the Lions tour, body battered soon after, and finished off after being thrown on half-cooked in Dublin last year.
In short, "Dancing Gav" had lost his rhythm.
Now Jenkins is setting the tune and, with the likes of , Henson can continue finding his feet at Test level once more and get back to his best in time for the World Cup.
Wales 27-18 England
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yeah henson may be the next best choice at fullback but i think wales would miss him at centre but that's just my opinion
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I think Henson will shine in the 6 Nations!
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Tevez, Course he'll shine he'll be wearing l'oreal's new bronzing fake-tan lotion for most of the championship !
Ireland by 10 points
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Ithink henson has taken alot of stick from welsh supporters .... he will be at his best this 6 nations like he was in 2005
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I think henson should be included in the side but as an impact player, kevin morgan has been outstanding for a very weak newport side all season and should wales's 15. Alfie (if available) should be 14, shanks and hook in the centres, 11 should go to checki the cardiff left hooker.
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Henson is a damn good player, but i'm not sure if i like him at 15, if healthy Bryne would be my choice because i think he's a better defender than Morgan. I think Wales could pull off the win on Sunday but it's unlikely, Checkjai shouldn't be playing in the six nations yet
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Checkai, the blues left hooker? i think you mean left wing............. forgetting that........ i think that Henson will be a very good fullback as he has shone in that position before for the Ospreys........ his massive boot aside, he knows where he should be on the field, and when he gets going, he is a difficult man to stop and even when he does, his range of passing skills should see him out of trouble most times
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Reality is that on current form Henson doesnt deserve to be in the squad. He has had barely a handful of high quality 80mins since the Lions tour. Yes injury has played a part but all season he has been average. Its time for him to realise that he hasnt done anything yet in the game and focus on getting the best out of himself. On ability alone he has to be up there with the top 4 or 5 in the Northern Hemisphere. I hope his eclispse by James Hook will force him to start focusing 100% on rugby and not his perceived celebrity. Time for you to realise Gavin that if it wasnt for your Chav girlfriend you would have been long forgotten by most of the media.
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Henson is the Beckham of rugby in every way, he has the pop-star girl friend the catwalk looks and his performances are based on hype rather than true performance. In the grand slam year it was Henson who got the head lines but it was Shanklin who was the true performer braking the line time and again. Henson鈥檚 fame seems to be based on turning a green as grass tait into his hand bag and one long kick. All that said I think he could be well suited to fullback with his accurate kicking controlling field position, both Morgan and Thomas are weak in this area. With a successful outing against Ulster and Ireland this could turn into a permanent switch with the more dynamic hook taking the centre spot!
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Gavin Henson is probably one of the most gifted players to come out of Wales for a long time. He has pace, is huge in the tackle and one of the softest pair of hands in the game. I think one of his qualities that Wales will lack when he starts at 15 is his ability to put others into space. His timing and service when he has the ball in hand is top drawer and that is very important as an inside back. It is something I think we will see from Farrell for England. Henson is able to play 15, whether he is best used there remains to be seen. I think he and Hook could play 10 & 12 for Wales and you would see the wider players being put in alot of space as a result. Without Church, he might be forgotten by the media, but not rugby circles. I think there are alot of nations who would love to have such a natural 12.
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Hmm..I'm Welsh, but to be honest I'd rather lose without Henson than win with him. He and Charlotte 'Don't you know who I am' Church represent that awful celebrity culture nonsense so beloved of 'Big Brother'. Where the product one is endorsing is more important than the achievements on the field of play.
Indeed, if we are going to have someone as 'flouncy' as Henson, why not go the whole way and substitute Kathryn Jenkins into the team ? She is quick, agile and if she can cope with being helicoptered into Iraq, then there is very little on a rugby field that can faze her...
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I just wish they would keep him at inside centre. Ospreys are messing him around. Keep him at centre, hook at fly half..there you have a Welsh partnership and probably a future Lions partnership.
He is a class act...let him play!!
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One tackle on Matt Tait and one kick from the half way line does not a great player make. The kury is still out on Gav and there's a danger he'll be the Beckham of rugby - a rather average player remembered for his off-field antics.
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Henson is incredibly overrated...he's not cut out for the oval ball game, should've played roundball where his shaved legs, fake tan, and pop star girlfriend are more accepted...
sorry, but i never could figure out what this guy offers...strong in the tackle?...remember the stiff arm dan the man carter gave him on the lions tour?...he's a true puss...
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I think that Gareth Jenkins has made a mistake in naming Steven Jones as national team captain through until the world cup. Since his arrival, James Hook has shown us what a huge difference the presence of a quick, dynamic, instinctive play maker can make to a game at 10. I wouldn't include Gavin in the starting 15 although I would always include him on the bench. Kevin Morgan should definitely start at 15, it sounds like we are stuck with Steven at 10, Hook must therefore start at 12 with, hopefully a fit Tom Shanklin at 13. I wish Regan King had never won an all black cap! Anyway, that leads to another debate - all black qualification! The only way to restore some kind of balance to the world order appears to me to restrict all black recruitment of south sea islanders. This would ensure the development of the island teams as world class teams and ensure the all blacks developed more home grown talent.
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Lyn Jones seems to have a death wish for welsh rugby.
He has destroyed the confidence of Gavin Henson by consistently playing him out of position.
He is now trying to do the same with James Hook.
They both need to throw in their lot with the Ospreys and find an intelligent coach who will play them regularly in the best position.
Unless somebody can afford to sack the most incompetent director in Welsh rugby.
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Difficult choices, he's not been at the races so far this season, he drifts in and out of games but his talent is undeniable. It is due to injury problems that he's in the picture. Kevin Morgan at 15 for me.
Does anybody think Henson could play 12 and Hook 13.
If you want a winger Daf James is up with the best at the Scarlets.
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Two players have come along in the last 2 years who are better than him in James Hook and Gavin Evans. It happens. That's why we have academies. Henson is not quick off the mark. Hook who is not considered fast is deceptively quicker off the mark than Henson.
Henson has very good passing skills and kicks a long way, and when he gets in the right position to tackle someone, they really do stay tackled. Henson is a really good centre, however he is an even better rugby league stand-off IMO. Would he go to RL, I doubt it. I think he would be able to be a star even in the NRL. I could see Ricky Stuart absolutely loving him.
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Henson is great as long as he puts commitment into his game.
Tonights game showed that he couldn't give a toss about playing when compared to the rest of the team.
Talent is f.a if you don't get your paws dirty.
Until he wakes up and realises that effort counts he will be side lined.
Simon
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I wish the pundits out there would leave Gavin's personal life out of his rugby career. He is entitled to a life outside with whom ever he chooses. Give the lad a break (and Charlotte for that matter) He is a great player. Be thankful he plays for us and not England!
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I have always been a fan of gavin henson, and I always have and still do think that he is a talented player. But somtimes he dissapoints me when his efort rate drops considderably. I dont think he is good at fulback, I think his best position is incide centre and whenever he is on the field he has a pressence about him that gives his team confidence.
He deserves a place in the wales squad but needs to realize the opportunity he has been given.Take it.And show us all the world class player that he is. Jordan
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I have to say there has been an awful lot of chat about Henson's place in popular culture and his girlfriend, the moisturising and tan in a bottle, but little of his status as an undeniably world class player.
Admittedly his ego spiralled out of control after a (How could you deny) Magnificent Grand Slam season, but the Welsh fans and coaching set up are in danger of inflicting the same soul sapping destruction of confidence upon Henson that Woodward did on the Lions tour. His parochial selection tactics isolated Henson, and it is precisely the parochial nature of the WRU that leaves them in danger of comitting the same sin.
Cut out the Church chat, and give him a run in the team. In one position. For both Club and Country. Given a chance he WILL become the player of the tournament.
And as for the continued Love affair with Kevin Morgan, the words 'distinctly' and 'average' have never been so applicable to a 15. Can he hit, run or offload like Henson? Unlikely, although I'm sure Gareth Jenkins sees Morgan through the same rose tinted glasses that everyone else seems to!
Hope Wales win on Sun, but for goodness sake get Henson in there
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Henson is an amazing impact player and plays up to big games like the 05 6 nations and i'm positive he'll do the same this year if given the chance. it is an absolute crime that a player of this calibre is being left out of the squad, especially when Wales clearly lacked his physical presence and lines of running not to mention his defensive qualities against Ireland. Gareth Jenkins is in danger of losing any hope of a decent position for wales in this year's tournament if he keeps making these selection blunders, James Hook is a 10 and not a 12 and Stephen Jones is playing off form and clearly needs to be droped.
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