Henson’s folly doesn’t augur well for Cardiff’s Euro hopes

Gavin Henson’s weekend indiscretions not only casts a shadow on his future in the game but has left me scratching my head as to how the Cardiff Blues are organised off the field.

It doesn’t augur well for the Welsh side’s preparations for Saturday’s Heineken Cup quarter-final with Leinster.

If any of the Irish provinces were playing away in the RaboDirect Pro12 a week before such an important fixture, they would have been on a charter flight home with two hours of the final whistle.

What were Cardiff doing staying overnight and then travelling on a flight at 7am the next morning? I’m not excusing Henson’s actions in any way. He is a professional player and should know how to conduct himself. But at 7am the following morning, the management teams of the Irish provinces would have ensured their players were tucked up in their own beds and beginning the preparations for their next outing.

For Cardiff next weekend the words of Roy Keane loom large — fail to prepare, prepare to fail.

Words: Donal Lenihan