THERE WERE SEVERAL individuals to emerge from the Wolfhounds clash with the Saxons last weekend with reputations enhanced, Ulsterman Iain Henderson among them.
While the back row of Robin Copeland, Tommy O’Donnell and Rhys Ruddock led a wonderfully watchable defensive shift for Anthony Foley’s side, Henderson was perhaps the most impressive forward on display in Gloucester.
In the backs, Robbie Henshaw’s power in contact stood out, while his defensive reads were consistently intelligent. There were others whose personal displays will have given Joe Schmidt food for thought, but it is Henderson who we focus on here. His improved skills in the tight suggest that he may now be the strongest second row option for the bench against Scotland in the Six Nations on Sunday.
Physical power
The 21-year-old is a rare physical specimen for Irish rugby, in that his height [6ft 6ins] is matched by a well-developed weight [around 118kg]. We aren’t fortunate enough to produce too many men of these dimensions on these shores, so Henderson has been earmarked as a star for some time.
There are certainly still a few extra kilogrammes to be packed onto the Ulster lock’s frame, but that must not come at the expense of decreasing Henderson’s power output. Presently, he is explosive in contact and in the tackle, while he is pacy enough to cover the ground well around the pitch.
We have long known that Henderson is an explosive ball carrier, but the former BRA student is now beginning to use that power in defence two. There were some strong examples of that against the Saxons, including the incident below.
First of all, it’s worth noting the area of the pitch and the situation in which Henderson makes the hit on Charlie Sharples. Defending against a pacy winger on counter-attack in a wide channel is many a lock’s nightmare but for the mobile Henderson, it is an opportunity to impose himself.
He bides his time, allows Sharples to just get to his outside shoulder and then explodes into contact. The 21-year-old’s head is well-positioned on the inside of the tackle and he gets a firm wrap with the arms as he drives through for a really dominant tackle; technically excellent from the lock.
Equally as impressive is the manner in which Henderson bounces directly onto his feet, looking to steal possession. It’s easy to take a split-second breather in these situations, congratulate oneself on the great tackle and then roll away to the side when the ruck forms. While Ireland are pinged for going off their feet, it’s a promising sign that Henderson focuses on the turnover so swiftly.
The second row completed 15 tackles over the course of the evening at Kingsholm, many of which were made in tight channels around the fringes of defensive rucks. His mass is useful in those scenarios, where the space to make more explosive hits is decreased.
There were a couple of other strong efforts near the touchlines though, and Henderson seems to be particularly good at driving players into touch in those wide areas. The example below shows him dominating Sam Hill in contact and driving him out over the sideline.
Again, it’s a good initial hit from the Ulster forward and aided by O’Donnell and Fergus McFadden, he wrestles the Saxons centre out of play. Henderson’s grappling skills and upper body strength appear to have increased this season, meaning he is doing well in this in-contact type of situation far more often.
Busy in the tight
We really didn’t get to see too much of Henderson’s ball carrying on Saturday, mainly due to the fact that Ireland didn’t have a large share of the overall possession. When they did have the ball, their maul proved to be a hugely effective attacking weapon and Henderson played a key role.
This first example above was the maul from which Isaac Boss scored the opening try and the Wolfhounds forwards did remarkably well to provide that platform. Out focus is on Henderson’s involvement in this instance, so keep a close eye on him after Dan Tuohy completes his catch from Rob Herring’s throw.
Henderson is the front lifter and does a good job in that regard before immediately sliding just in ahead of where Tuohy lands. The 21-year-old creates the perfect wedge between the ball and England’s maul defence, as well as showing determination to fight off Calum Clark.
While the whole tussle with Clark lasts just a couple of seconds, it demonstrates the increasing strength of Henderson in the tight. While the Northampton Saints back row is driving head-on into the Ulsterman, Henderson is almost at a right angle to Clark, using his side and just one arm to fight off the challenge.
A perfect blend of aggression and technique allows the Irish lock to come out on top and he eventually elbows Clark out of the way, spear-heading the progress of the Wolfhounds decisive maul.
We got another strong example of something similar in the second half as Ireland worked the ball forward through the maul in their own half of the pitch. Having lifted Tuohy at the front, Henderson again gets into that position at the front of the maul, sealing off that side and fighting away the challenge of Sam Dickinson.
Similarly to the first example, Henderson only has one side of his body free to grapple with Dickinson, who made an excellent impact off the bench for the Saxons. Henderson’s right arm is actually bound around Tuohy for almost the entire maul. Still, the six-times capped lock had the strength to win that mini-battle and help the Irish maul to rumble forward.
There are many little elements that go into a successful maul, and Henderson’s role at the front was essential for the Wolfhounds.
These areas of the game are exactly where Henderson needs to show that he is improving. His ball carrying and, to an extent, tackling have never been concerns at senior level, whereas his skills in the tight possibly have been.
Much of the latter is built on experience, knowing what to do in a given situation, be it at the maul, ruck or breakdown. However, Henderson is starting to show signs that working alongside the likes of Tuohy and Johann Muller at Ulster is having a positive effect.
The little bit of dog
Another area that might be seen as one with scope for progress in Henderson’s game is his aggression level. The very best locks in world rugby all have that little bit of ‘dog’ in them; a competitive spirit that can see them bending the rules or laying down the law to opposition players who are doing damage.
It’s not necessarily about being dirty, but it is about intimidating the opposition, about dominating them physically whenever possible and letting them know that they are in for a scrap. There were a couple of brief glimpses against the Saxons that Henderson is attempting to add that to his game.
The clear-out above is technically efficient, immediately removing the turnover threat of Henry Slade. More encouragingly, we see Henderson follow through and shove the Saxons replacement into the ground. It’s unnecessary, but it’s as good as telling Slade not to come back into the breakdown again.
The attempt is not to overemphasise a simple rucking action by Henderson here, and he will need to do more of this against bigger and better players to truly prove himself.
Our second little glimpse of aggression from Henderson comes after one of his five carries on the night. It’s not the easiest thing to pick up and it’s a minor, minor detail but it is a sign of a more combative approach from the developing lock.
We’re referring to the little downward flick of the right leg from Henderson as the tackler Scott Wilson fails to roll away. It’s obviously not legal from the Wolfhounds second row and he doesn’t actually connect with his target, but again it shows that Henderson is playing with aggression, determined not to let the Saxons substitute prop prevent quick ball.
Versatility
While Henderson’s long-term future appears to lie in the second row, his ability to play at blindside flanker makes him an attractive bench option for Joe Schmidt heading into the Six Nations. His lack of any Heineken Cup starts this season means he hasn’t had an opportunity to stake a true starting claim, with Paul O’Connell and Devin Toner deservedly set to continue as first-choice locks.
Tuohy also had a strong outing for the Wolfhounds on Saturday, and must be wondering what more he can do to work his way into Ireland’s senior team, while Mike McCarthy has superior experience to Henderson. However, they don’t offer a similarly explosive impact to the 21-year-old, nor do they possess his versatility.
Schmidt has spoken before of the advantage of having that exact attribute on the bench in reference to this back substitutes, but it should equally apply to his forwards. Henderson has highlighted that the skills he needs to improve are heading in the right direction, while his potential means he could become the long-term successor to O’Connell as a world-class Irish lock.
