Warren Gatland full of praise for 'world-class' Robbie Henshaw
Robbie Henshaw
Warren Gatland isn’t the first to wax lyrical about Robbie Henshaw but the British and Irish Lions head coach took it up a few notches today when he described the Leinster and Ireland centre as world-class.
The Kiwi said as much this afternoon as he spoke about the side he has chosen for Saturday’s tour opener against Japan in Edinburgh. Henshaw will be one of seven Irish players in the 23 and one among a half-dozen to start.
“I thought Robbie was the outstanding midfielder in the Six Nations,” said Gatland from the Lions Jersey training base.
“He’s great in the air. I have seen him develop, improve and mature from four years ago. That's been probably one of the biggest highlights for me, just in terms of how he has developed into an absolute world-class midfielder.”
That progress has been pronounced. Long considered a class act, the former Connacht player was hampered by injuries for a handful of years and by an Irish game plan under Joe Schmidt that relied too much on his physicality and too little on his other skills.
The fact is that there is a paucity of genuine world-class players playing at or near the peak of their powers in Ireland right now but that’s a tag that has yet to attach itself securely to Henshaw despite the consistent excellence he has shown for club and country.
It's puzzling to think why.
He seems primed to finally announce himself in that regard come this summer’s tour in South Africa and he will make his first pitch for what, injury aside, seems to be a guaranteed spot in the Test side alongside a familiar face this weekend.
Bundee Aki’s place in this Lions squad came as something of a surprise but the Connacht midfielder brings plenty to the table and he will get to show his wares in Murrayfield. Gatland certainly seems to consider him a useful man to have around.
“That combination obviously goes back to the Connacht days. It's the two Connacht lads coming together and I think they are obviously great mates as well, so that kinda helps.
“A lot of people sort of see Bundee as someone - and we know he is capable of getting the ball across the gain-line - but he's got a lot more than just that to offer.
“He has got some real rugby skill, some great footwork and a passing and offloading game. So, we are expecting some real quality rugby out of both of those two men.
Another of the seven Irishmen in the frame in five day’s time is Tadhg Beirne who offers the Lions options in both the second and back rows. The Munster player has been named on the blindside for this one and seems a good option for a bench slot come the Springbok games.
“Yeah, look, he has been very, very good,” said Gatland. “We are probably at this stage looking at him as a back-rower.
“We know he can cover the second-row but I spoke to him the other day about, 'What's your point of difference?' And he knew straight away what his point of difference is.
“His point of difference is his ability at the breakdown and turnovers and the amount of turnovers that he creates in a game is pretty special.
“We are looking for players to think about what their points of difference is. For Tadhg, that definitely is a big part of his game: the amount of turnovers he is able to create.
“Those sorts of things can change a game and you need players like that to be able to have an impact in a match. He is able to do that and hopefully on the weekend he gets a chance to demonstrate some of those abilities that he has.”
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