Henshaw ready to switch on
THERE was a strange mix of emotions swirling around Robbie Henshaw’s head in Twickenham last Saturday. While the Leinster centre was obviously delighted to see his teammates land a first Grand Slam since 2009 with that hugely impressive 24-15 defeat of England, the dislocated shoulder suffered against Italy meant that the 24year-old was confined to the stands for the final three rounds of fixtures against Wales, Scotland and England.
‘You take it on board but ultimately you want to be there, you want to be involved,’ he admits.
‘It was a great campaign and I definitely think I contributed something to the group from the early parts until I got injured. I did feel part of it.’
Henshaw is currently five weeks into his rehabilitation programme, which he explains is roughly the halfway mark in terms of getting back out on the pitch.
His reduced schedule has allowed him to swap his gearbag for his backpack, and dedicate more time to his studies. He is currently completing a degree in Arts with Economics and Geography in UCD.
‘I have got in more lectures this last few weeks than I had the last few years,’ he continues. ‘It’s actually been a nice way to switch away from all the rehab and all the rugby and to finish out my degree.
‘At least I’m not ruled out for the rest of the season, which is really good and has me in a good mindset.
‘If you have a season-ending injury you might go through the motions, you might get caught up with it [the disappointment] but the fact that I have a target to get back… I’m not really sure when that is, we’ll just have to take it week to week, but the physios and the medical staff have been impressed with how things are going.
‘You go through the process and hit all your markers. Sports science and the medical side of things being so precise now, you have to be as precise on your testing and if it’s not right at the end of it then you have to take another few weeks to get it right. Certainly if it’s not right at the end point then I won’t be rushing it because there is no point. I’ll push it as hard and as fast as I can to get back.’
He explains that his Six Nations medal will most likely go in the family home, where his mother has pictures of some career highlights framed on the wall alongside all of his international caps, from Under18s level right up to senior.
There is still a chance to add both a Champions Cup and Pro14 winners’ medal this season, and if Henshaw’s team-mates can get past Saracens in their Champions Cup quarter-final on Sunday week, then he may be fit in time for the semifinal stages, to be played on the weekend of April 20-22. ‘Saracens are going to be a really tricky test and are going to look to get better and better — the England lads involved last weekend are going to be thinking about the loss they had.
‘You know, we’re going to reflect on what happened in both semifinals we were in last year [losing both], we have that thought in our heads. The boys have come through a Six Nations and played really well, and not picked up too many injuries, I think we’ll have a few days down this week and then back into work next week.’