VIDEO: Versatile Iain Henderson ticks all boxes

Versatility... It’s been rugby’s buzz word of the summer and nobody’s name has been more prominent in that conversation than Iain Henderson’s who is moonlighting as a lock right now despite his growing renown as a flanker in Ulster.

Henderson has always been pegged as a contender for either the second or back rows, but there was a pleasing symmetry in the seam of Saturday’s outing at the Aviva Stadium despite the discouraging result and nature of the home team’s performance.

All the focus might have inevitably centred on Paul O’Connell’s last appearance for his country on home soil, but stationed alongside him was Henderson who was starting his first game in Dublin as a lock.

It may be that we look back on the day as a sort of passing of the torch.

Devin Toner has raised his game admirably in recent years, elevating his lofty frame from that of someone not quite assured of his place with Leinster to someone who has been an integral part of two Six Nations winning sides.

Yet his form hasn’t been electric this past season and, for all his dominance in the air, it would be impossible to make the case for the Meathman in any other facet of play when compared to the gifts that Henderson brings.

There is also the sense that, for all Schmidt’s excellent work in strengthening the squad’s depth this past two years, the first XV could probably do with the sort of freshening up a new face or two would involve.

Henderson’s appears to fit better than most.

His try showcased his wares as he bludgeoned through two Welsh tacklers to dot the ball over the line for his side’s only five-pointer. Such dynamism from second row is something Joe Schmidt will find difficult to ignore.

“He’s been pushing for a while,” said the Ireland coach. “We’ve utilised Dan Tuohy, Donnacha (Ryan) and Dev Toner in those positions and they’d all be looking at him and going ‘wow, he’s certainly delivering’.

“That’s the competitive element of it and I guess game to game you’ll inevitably mix and match a little bit, but he had a fantastic opportunity (on Saturday) and it’s pretty hard to say he didn’t step up and take it.”

Henderson spoke again after this game about the reams he and everyone else has learned from O’Connell – the professionalism and everything it encompasses from nutrition to video reviews – and they appear to complement each other nicely on the pitch.

“Do we?” he asked almost rhetorically.

“Paul is a good grafter, I would say. He does an awful lot of the unseen work, which leaves nice spaces for me if I end up carrying outside him whereas some people might say I don’t do enough of the nitty-gritty work.

“He might put himself around a bit more and cover that for me and I can hopefully carry a bit more for both of us.” Starting Henderson alongside O’Connell for the Italy and/or France pool games in the World Cup would be difficult to argue with, though there is the fact that they have not exactly solidified their partnership in the second row.

The pair started Ireland’s first Test against Argentina at the Estadio Centenario 14 months ago and then banked some time again a week later when Henderson replaced Toner in the Estadio Monumental Jose Fierro, but that was it as a tandem until Saturday.

So, too much of an ask? Too late in the day? Henderson was superb against Wales, even if he was hard on himself for the concession of penalties and some questionable work at a few rucks, and he didn’t exactly row in with the theory that he is working a familiar groove for himself at number four.

“I played six all the end of last season and 40 minutes at second row there two or three weeks ago so I haven’t played an awful lot of second row in recent games,” he said, that first outing coming against Wales in Cardiff in the opening warm-up.

It’s no easy task he has been handed. Tasks, actually. Both player and coach spoke afterwards about the myriad of permutations that could, and probably will, arise and which will dictate where and when the Ulsterman is used in England.

Denis Hickie, speaking to the BBC, spoke up for Toner after the game while accepting that Henderson was Ireland’s best forward and that a space had to be found for him. You could imagine Schmidt thinking the very same thing.