Robbie Henshaw on his Lions speech 'as Gaeilge'

It was short and sweet but a lot of hard work was needed for Robbie Henshaw to deliver those 70 words in Irish to the audience at New Zealand’s most important historic site last Sunday.

The Leinster and Ireland centre had sought out his primary school teacher sister Ali to help him brush up on his native tongue after he stepped forward to represent his country during the British & Irish Lions’ national welcome from the Maori at the Carved Meeting House on the Waitangi Treaty Grounds.

“I said thanks for having us, it’s great to be here. I’m from the Midlands in Ireland and just thanks very much to New Zealand, it’s a beautiful country, a beautiful place. It was short and sweet,” Henshaw, 24, said.