It was fun while it lasted.
From the moment Robbie Henshaw claimed his first high ball, and returned it with interest, he confirmed that he was right where he belonged.
Hailing from Athlone, which itself is split between Connacht and Leinster, he captained his Marist team to Schools Senior Cup success and, within a year, was lining out for the western province.
After four years with Connacht, Henshaw will move to Leinster next season. It was a switch made all the harder by Connacht’s superb form this season. Pat Lam’s men can consolidate top spot with a win over Zebre today.
At Ireland’s open training session at Mullingar RFC, on Friday, Henshaw gave the print media his reasons for joining Leinster. He said:
“[It was] an extremely tough decision for me; a lot of lost sleep over it. It was very close in the end. Obviously I’ve been saying to myself that I’ve let a few people down in Connacht.”
Henshaw said he wanted to get the deal ‘done and dusted’ before the Six Nations but negotiations dragged a bit.
Again, Henshaw returned to the topic of letting down the Connacht faithful. He commented.
“It kind of was in my mind in advance that I would be letting people down. It was completely my decision. Just so people know, it wasn’t the IRFU’s decision, it was mine…
“I tried to give as much to them as I could in the last four years and I will continue to do so until the end of the year for Connacht, that’s my goal.”
Henshaw also cited the fact that he has family, friends and a girlfriend all living in Dublin as key reasons for his move. The chance to work alongside Leinster players – and he name-checked here – Sean O’Brien, Cian Healy and Johnny Sexton was another huge, motivating factor.
