Robbie Henshaw comfortable with a wider brief in the Leinster centre

COMFORTABLE: Robbie Henshaw is comfortable playing any role with Leinster.  Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

It’s seven years since the panellists sat on RTÉ’s ‘Against The Head’ couch devoted a good chunk of their programme to Robbie Henshaw and the manner in which he was being used by then Ireland coach Joe Schmidt.

Lynne Cantwell agreed that he was being used as a “battering ram” and wondered if his wider skillset could be utilized better. Donal Lenihan felt he might be a victim of circumstance because of the inexperience around him at that point in time.

Lenihan made the additional point that Henshaw’s roving brief to that point, at 12, 13 and at full-back, would make him a better player down the tracks and he has been superb for a long time nowy regardless of the shirt on his back.

The Athlone man has started 13 games for Leinster this season. Seven have been at inside-centre but five of his last six have seen him stationed out one place further due to the long absence through injury of Garry Ringrose.

The perception of him for some time now has been that of a 12 but he has figured far more extensively at outside-centre for his country than his club of late. His last ten starts for Ireland, going back to the last of three Tests in New Zealand in 2022, all came at 13.

He is still capable of trucking ball up the middle but Henshaw is a far more complete player than that. He was showing as much with Connacht, and again with Leinster even while Schmidt was using him in such a one-dimensional manner for a time.

“I’ve loved the bit of space you get," he said of 13. "It has been good for the attack and it also keeps you on your toes defensively. You have to be sharp and you need to be on it for defence, for the team.” 

A lot of this is obviously needs-must stuff.

Ringrose is finally in the reckoning to return to action for Saturday’s URC quarter-final against Ulster at the Aviva Stadium after a visit to a specialist about his shoulder injury last week. His presence would restore the more familiar 12/13 axis to the centre.

The arrival next year of Jordie Barrett for a short period of time will add again to their options in the department but the 22-year old Jamie Osborne – another highly-versatile operator - has done a very respectable job of standing in of late.

“He has been brilliant,” said Henshaw. “He has grown and he has gotten better and better the more he has played. Jamie, I’ve been working well with him and the two of us have been working off each other. It has been enjoyable to play outside him.” 

Ringrose’s return would be a timely boost as the province looks to shake off the disappointment of that latest Champions Cup final loss and win a first URC title and Henshaw is adamant that lessons have been learned.

“Last week was tough but we got together the lads who weren’t playing against Connacht on Friday and had a good kind of debrief review and went through bits of the game about where we could tidy up and where we could be more clinical.

“It’s always tough to come back. There were definitely a lot of opportunities that we missed, particularly in that first-half where we were on their line a few times, had good entries into their 22 and didn’t convert. Big chances that we left and came back to bite us in the end.”