Henson targets Wales call-up
Defence coach Shaun Edwards suggested Gavin Henson could be back for Wales in their Six Nations opener against England following his move to Saracens.
"It's fantastic for Welsh rugby to get one of our best players back fit and available," Edwards told Scrum V Radio.
"Around the time of the Six Nations he should be firing on all cylinders if he stays fit. There seems a correlation with Gavin playing and Wales winning."
Wales welcome England to Cardiff's Millennium Stadium on 4 February.
Henson, 28, has not played for 19 months after being injured playing for the Ospreys against Gloucester in the LV= Cup.
He then went on unpaid leave, having last featured for Wales in the 2009 Six Nations defeat to Ireland.
The double Grand Slam winner is currently competing on the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing programme and, when his commitments to the show end, he plans to play for Saracens, having secured a deal to the end of the season when the Ospreys "reluctantly" agreed to release him from his contract on Wednesday.
"[The news] has been taken positively in the Wales camp," said Edwards, who is helping head coach Warren Gatland prepare for the four-Test November series against Australia, South Africa, Fiji and New Zealand.
"Everyone wants their best players available. We are suffering from injuries and Gavin is a quality player."
Edwards, who is also head coach at Wasps, could be up against Henson when his club faces Saracens at Wembley on Boxing Day.
"I'm pretty sure he will cope well in the Premiership, he's at a good club in Saracens and he loves the big stage," said Edwards.
 |
Knowing Gavin Henson it wouldn't surprise me to see him running out for Wales [against England]
Phil Bennett
|
But should Henson walk straight back into the national squad it is sure to be controversial.
"It would put Gatland in an extremely difficult situation because he has always said he prefers Welsh-based players," former Wales wing Adrian Hadley told BBC Sport.
"But Gatland is a very, very big fan of Gavin Henson and if he starts performing at Saracens he will have no option but to pick him."
In September, the Welsh Rugby Union's publicity stunt of using non-playing Henson as the poster boy for the launch of the new Wales kit caused consternation amongst some national squad members.
The often-fractious relationship between the Union and the four Welsh regions could also be strained by a relaxation of the policy of favouring Wales-based players as the Blues, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets seek to keep their top players away from the lure of English and French clubs.
Speaking of Henson's move to Saracens, Hadley said: "I would be a bit cheesed off if I was the Ospreys.
8 September: Welsh rugby 'not just about Henson' - Jamie Roberts
"By getting out of his contract Henson hasn't shown one bit of loyalty, especially after the way the Ospreys have looked after him."
Despite the controversy that is likely to follow, Henson's forthcoming return to action has been almost universally welcomed.
"The Ospreys have behaved with great dignity over the last 12 months or so," Wales legend Phil Bennett told BBC Sport.
"They wanted Henson back, both for his talent on the field and for his commercial value.
"But it was time to move on. The Ospreys coaches were fed up of talking about him and wanted to concentrate on their own game."
Former Ospreys boss Lyn Jones - Henson's first regional coach - added: "The Ospreys have been very mature in the way they have dealt with this, it was a very brave move.
"If there was an argument with Henson on his way out then he would never have come back, but we all want to see him eventually back in Wales and playing in an Ospreys jersey again."
Henson's erstwhile Wales and Ospreys team-mate Shane Williams is confident his fellow British and Irish Lion will return to Test rugby.
|
Gavin can get back very quickly indeed, he knows rugby inside out, more than any player I've ever coached
Lyn Jones
|
"I am sure he will play for Wales again. He is keeping himself fit, and he is the sort of player who will play some good rugby after a couple of games," said Williams.
Both Bennett and Jones acknowledge that 31-cap Henson, a 2005 Lions Test player, faces a major challenge if he is again to scale the rugby heights.
"It's going to be a huge task for Gavin to get back to his best," said 1977 Lions captain Bennett.
"It will take a long, long time because in his absence players have got fitter, faster and much more mature.
"How he's kept himself in shape I don't know, but he will be targeted in the Premiership because the opposition will know that it will take him a while to get used to the pace of the game.
"It's a tough ask, but at least he will be back on the field. I hope he gets the chance to play some good rugby for Saracens, to get match fit and to enjoy his rugby.
"Knowing Gavin Henson it wouldn't surprise me to see him running out for Wales [against England on 4 February].
"But to make it back for the Six Nations would be a massive task.
"The dream would be to play in the World Cup, that could be the goal that gets him back to 100% at Test level.
"At the end of the day I want to see the potential I saw in Gavin when he started playing for the Ospreys. He was a brilliant young talent and - for various reasons - he hasn't fully blossomed."
Jones concluded: "Gavin can get back very quickly indeed. He knows rugby inside out - more than any player I've ever coached.
"It would be a huge call for him to get back for the Six Nations. But he's Superman and you never know."
Gavin Henson performs 'the Worm' in Saracens initiation
Potenshöjande medel - köp viagra
No comments:
Post a Comment