PLENTY TO PONDER FOR HENDO

IAIN HENDERSON is considering offers from abroad with his Ulster contract expiring at the end of this season. Joe Schmidt will hope that new Lions star Henderson, 25, doesn’t follow in the footsteps of Simon Zebo and Donnacha Ryan and chose a lucrative contract in France over his blossoming Ireland career.

“Initially all you want to do is play for Ulster,” said Henderson.

“Your goals are slightly realigned once you’ve been able to do that and then

Ireland becomes the next thing.

“When you’re growing up you aspire to being in those shoes.

“Simon’s been in there playing for six or seven seasons now and I can understand why he’d want to move on given that opportunity in France.

“When that time to review comes up, it’s definitely down to a player by player basis.” Henderson added: “After the summer tour and stuff there has been some interest from other clubs and places. “But Simon leaving and not being selected – it’s done on a player by player basis, form and a few other factors.

“So at the end of the day I will just sit down and have a chat with Joe, and maybe sit down with (IRFU performance director) David Nucifora and see before making any serious decisions.

“But those kind of chats and decisions about where to move to all come in to (play) probably a wee bit further down the year.

“It is kind of up for grabs at the same time - you’ve got to remember that it’s players’ livelihoods, their jobs.

“If they’re offering something like what I’ve read with Simon - a relatively lucrative amount that he mightn’t have been offered the same amount by Ireland - it’s a financial decision for him as well as a rugby decision.”

The likelihood is that Henderson, who has captained his province for the first time in recent games, will stay.

But he added: “I’m not completely closed off to the idea [of moving].

“You’ve got your family, your friends, a club where you’re already familiar with the coaches, the fans, the management.

“You’re already established so you’d have to go away and rebuild all of that. On the other hand players sometimes have to think about themselves.

“Sometimes the club will play on that and say, ‘Well, they’re comfortable here, therefore we can offer them a bit less’.

“It’s trying to weigh up a couple of options and seeing what’s best.

“It also depends on what club is approaching the player. There’ll be some more suitable to some players. It’s not just all about signing a piece of paper – there’s lifestyle changes, house moves and stuff that goes with it.

“That may prove to be slightly more difficult than it seems at the start.”