Henshaw keen to resume action as Six Nations looms
Leinster and Ireland rugby star Robbie Henshaw talks about battling back from injury setbacks, the upcoming Six Nations, this year’s World Cup and playing for the Lions.
With the Six Nations just around the corner, it’s hardly surprising that Robbie Henshaw is particularly keen to return to the field of battle.
This interview took place before Ireland’s initial squad for the Six Nations was announced and, when the squad was revealed, Henshaw was a notable absentee.
But the Athlone man was keenly aware that the odds were stacked against him regarding the Six Nations opener against Wales on Saturday, February 4. However, the clash with France on February 11 has been touted as a possibility.
Speaking about the wrist injury that has kept him out of action since last November, Henshaw said: “It’s an old injury that needed to be fixed up. We decided to get it done while I was rehabbing my hamstring - the two of them were around the same recovery period.
“Everything is going according to plans. It’s a big time of the year and I’m keen to get back as soon as I can, but I need to listen to my body and make sure everything is right.
“We weighted up all the options. We could have looked at doing it after the World Cup but that would just be kicking it down the road. We had a good chat and we felt this would be the best time to do it,” he told the Westmeath Independent.
“I’m happy to be on the other side of it and coming back onto the pitch. The hamstring is going well so that’s all good. It’s about trying to ramp up the contact stuff. I’ll probably need to get a couple of weeks of physical contact stuff under my belt. Then we’ll see where I am,” continued Henshaw, who returned to the training pitch last week.
It’s clear from the way Henshaw describes playing in the rugby cathedral of Cardiff, that a Six Nations clash away to Wales is a fixture he really relishes, which will add to the disappointment of missing it.
“Wales is a cracker of a game to start with and it will probably be a closed roof in the Principality Stadium. With the atmosphere there under a closed roof, it’s one of the best stadiums to play in. I love that place.”
Warren Gatland is back in charge of Wales which will add extra intrigue. “Yeah, ‘Gats’ has been a great coach for Wales and for the Lions. We’d know his mindset, and Wales will be physical and confrontational,” said Robbie, who played under Gatland with the British & Irish Lions.
“They will be competing for everything and they’re a tough team to beat when he’s over them because he gets them really psyched up and up for the challenge, especially when playing Ireland. He used to coach Ireland as well and that always brings a bit of extra bite.”
Injuries are, of course, part and parcel of top level sport, but Henshaw endured more than his fair share in recent times.
“My first four or five seasons with Connacht, I didn’t have one bad injury at all. I suppose the older you get, the more you get them,” said the 29-year-old.
“Thankfully they have all been pretty minor ones in terms of not being out for too long. The longest one was probably three and a half or four months. In that sense, they haven’t been too bad. Looking back there have been a fair share of hamstring ones and things like that but we’re doing our best in terms of trying to get ahead of that.
"These times are good periods to reflect and look at how you would do things differently,” continued Robbie, who began his rugby career with Buccaneers.
Henshaw agreed that the sort of tackles and collisions rugby players are subjected to has moved up another few notches in recent years.
“The game is getting more and more physical. Sports science is evolving and players are getting bigger, more powerful. Some of the hits going in are pretty frightening,” he said.
“In a way the more games you play, the more battle hardened you get. The more you do something the better you get at it. At the start of this season, I played four or five games on the trot for Leinster and I felt great. That was the first time I had done that in a while.
“When you get those big hits, it all comes down to your rehab, your recovery structure the day after the game, making sure you’re doing your ice baths, getting massaged out and looking after your nutrition. That all plays a huge part,” said Henshaw, who recently joined a partnership with Irish vitamin and supplement brand AYA.
Considering the wins Ireland have achieved in recent times - and the country’s ranking as number one in the world at present - competition for places in the squad is more intense than ever.
“With our form from the back end of the Six Nations last year up to the summer series in New Zealand and through November, we’ve been on an upward trajectory,” said Henshaw. “I think that’s what you want as a player - that competition for places drives on performances within the squad. It’s going to be exciting with everyone pushing trying to get the jersey. It’s a privilege to get the chance to play.”
Rugby World Cup
With the World Cup taking place in France later this year, there is a huge amount for rugby fans to look forward to.
“The fact that it’s in Europe is brilliant for our travelling supporters. I remember Cardiff and London (World Cup 2015) being thronged with Irish supporters and I’m really looking forward to seeing the travelling support. France is quite accessible and I’ve talked to people who are planning to stay in camp sites and make a holiday out of it and other people will fly in and out or go on the ferry,” said Robbie.
“Obviously it’s a big year for every team competing in it. We have to look at what’s in front of us first with the Six Nations and the games with Leinster for the rest of the season.”
In the past there may have been some trepidation among European teams about facing the Southern Hemisphere powerhouses in the World Cup, but Henshaw agrees that it’s now far more open.
“That’s what make it more exciting - the level of talent in different teams and the competition in each pool. Our pool is really exciting having Scotland and South Africa in there along with Tonga and Romania. Looking at the different pools, it’s going to be really exciting for the fans watching it,” said the former Marist College student.
Leinster have been agonisingly close to winning the European Champions Cup in recent years, losing the 2022 final to La Rochelle of France.
“La Rochelle last year was obviously heartbreak for everyone. It just came down to the last few moments and we have used that as motivation coming into this season,” said Henshaw. “Our performances in the league and in Europe have been solid and we’ve been unbeaten so far. Keeping the momentum going is the challenge that the coaches have put in front of us.”
One of the striking things about Leinster in recent seasons is their strength in depth and how they manage to keep winning matches even if missing several key players.
“The level of depth coming through the academy and the schools’ system is pretty frightening in term of the talent, these natural and unbelievable athletes, young rugby players who are making the step up seamlessly. It’s great for Leinster and Ireland as well. It’s great to be looking at the academy for players rather than looking outside Ireland,” said Henshaw.
Lions tour 2021
In 2021, Henshaw made the Lions team for the three Tests against South Africa - the highest representative honour for a rugby union player in Ireland or Britain.
“It was one of my main goals - to get on the Lions squad and secondly to get the Test cap. I got on the other tour to New Zealand (2017) but never managed to get the Test jersey.
“The fact that I got to play three out of three Test games was massive for me - that’s what I had aimed to achieve. I loved every minute of it,” said Henshaw.
“The tour was brilliant even though it was behind closed doors (due to the Covid-19 pandemic). The squad got on unbelievably well. I have great memories from that tour. It was unfortunate the way it finished. It was there to be won; unfortunately, we didn’t manage to achieve that. A brilliant tour and even looking back at the documentary puts a smile on your face and brings back some great memories.”
Though there is huge tradition behind the Lions, to some observers it is a rather unusual concept. And though Irish internationals have to put provincial rivalries to one side with Ireland, Henshaw admits it’s a very different dynamic when joining a Lions squad.
“It’s different in that you’re not used to it. It’s every four years for the Lions so it’s completely different,” he said.
For Henshaw, however, being part of the Lions tour was a fascinating life experience as well as a sporting one. “You get to meet great people and you get to find out different things. In terms of creating a bond, the challenge with the Lions is to get everyone on the same page in a short period of time. That’s how Warren Gatland has been so successful with the Lions as he has the ability to bring a squad together quickly and make them perform.”
Leading Irish vitamin and supplement brand AYA recently announced a brand partnership with Irish rugby international Robbie Henshaw for 2023. As a professional athlete at the top of his game, Robbie enjoys a busy lifestyle and alongside a balanced and varied diet, he takes AYA vitamins and supplements to help support his immunity and give him the energy he needs to perform both on and off the pitch, said a statement from AYA. Robbie embodies ‘‘Living the AYA Way’’ which supports a healthy lifestyle to make sure you’re feeling on top form, no matter what you’re doing or what life throws at you’’. AYA is committed to delivering only the highest quality food supplements and vitamins to support health and well-being for all the family. AYA products are is widely available across the country.