Playmaker Henderson says under-20s will be given licence to thrill

Josh Henderson says Scotland under-20s will play a more expansive style of rugby when they take on their Welsh counterparts at Broadwood Stadium in Cumbernauld tonight, than we have seen in their last two outings.

Henderson was at standoff when the boys in blue lost 20-19 at home to Ireland in their first match of this agegrade Six Nations campaign three weeks ago.

However he missed out on the 38-6 defeat in France a week later after coming down with a bug during the days leading up to the match.

Now the 19-year-old has come straight back into the side to face Wales and will form an exciting midfield axis with Connor Eastgate at inside centre.

“Having Connor there is going to help me out in terms of having that extra set of tactical eyes,” said the Glasgow Hawks playmaker

“In the first two games we’ve kept things quite tight, we’ve been pretty conservative, but that’s a positive because that’s what we’ve been practicing. Hopefully on Friday night you’ll see us chucking the ball about a bit more,” added Henderson.

While there might be a greater emphasis on opening up the game, the No 10 says the tutelage he has been given in recent months by the man currently occupying the stand-off berth in the senior Scotland team will help him to chose the right moments to bring exciting runners in the outside channels, such as Darcy Graham and Ross Mccann, into the game.

“My main feedback all the time is that I need to improve my tactical con- trol,” explained Henderson. “Finn Russell is my mentor at Glasgow Warriors and we speak about that a lot because hegetsthesamefeedback,and I met with him on the Wednesday before the Ireland game and went through things he’s done in the past to help himself out.

“The main thing I took out of it is not playing what is in front of me but planning two phases ahead to give myself time on the ball, which has helped me a lot.”

0 Josh Henderson: Return.