Henshaw’s little victory makes a big statement
IT LASTED just seven seconds, but it was one of those moments that summed up the 80 minutes.
Robbie Henshaw is usually the one running people over, but midway through the second-half of Leinster’s opening 24-17 Champions Cup win over Montpellier, the Ireland centre was caught off-guard by Nemani Nadolo (below), who tossed him aside as if he wasn’t there.
Normally, in the Top 14, the Fijian winger’s job would be done and he’d be heading for the tryline, but after smiling wryly to himself, Henshaw stayed in the fight and as he fell backwards managed to chop the big man down.
For good measure he sprung to his feet, drove through the ruck and ripped the ball from Ruan Pienaar’s grasp.
The RDS rose in unison to salute the 24-year-old. The score was 19-7 to Leinster and while there was drama to come it was a microcosm of the battle, as a young Leinster team stripped of the majority of its leadership corps secured a bonus point win against the expensively assembled French side.
“There’s big moments in games and definitely when the crowd gets behind you, you hear that roar and the team gets behind you... your team-mates celebrate the little victories. That’s a big lift for our team, maybe when the opposition see that it could be a little gain on them as well, it helps,” Henshaw reflected.
“It’s not nice, it didn’t hurt really, but it’s a bit embarrassing when you get thrown like a rag doll around the place. He’s a twoman job.
“I just knew I got it all wrong and I was gone, falling backwards. I managed to get a second go at him and take him down. I just kind of smirked when I realised the power of the man.
“We practise our speed getting back to our feet in training, coming back through the ruck and being legal.
“So I just got back to my feet and I knew we were under the pump at that stage. I just saw Pienaar picking the ball up with no-one there to cover him in the ruck. I knew I was within my rights to go through the ruck and strip him of the ball.
“It was a big moment, but I thought at the time I needed to do something after slipping off Nadolo.”
Next week’s opponents Glasgow Warriors are a familiar and altogether different challenge.
Unbeaten in the Guinness PRO14 and under the tutelage of the highly rated Dave Rennie, the Scots are a dangerous proposition and Henshaw says there’ll be a major focus on defence.
“We slipped a few tackles, myself included. A few defensive errors were a little bit evident, but it’s nothing major,” he said.
“Playing Glasgow over there on a 4G pitch, they love to run the ball as well. We’ll need to be rock solid in our defence because I think Finn Russell is a class player at No 10.
“He definitely looks to run the ball, attack flat at the line and put guys in holes. Our defence will have to be better next week.
“It’ll be a faster game and definitely when the ball bounces there it’s hard to judge, it can go anywhere.”