IT WAS BETWEEN Tadhg Furlong and Robbie Henshaw for the job of speaking as Gaeilge on behalf of the Lions at Sunday’s memorable Māori welcoming ceremony in Waitangi Treaty Grounds, but the Westmeath man got the nod in the end.
“We had a discussion and seeing as I played in the west of Ireland, and it’s an Irish-speaking area, I was directly in line for it,” says former Connacht man Henshaw.
Henshaw spoke in Irish at the ceremony in Waitangi. Billy Stickland / INPHO
Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
Henshaw called his sister Ali, a teacher back in Dubai, for some help and though he leaned on her fluent Irish to a degree, he proudly says it was “mostly my own work.”
It was a nice moment hearing the Leinster man speak Irish in such a serene and unique setting, as he introduced himself, thanked New Zealand for their welcome and praised the country’s great beauty.
Henshaw was honoured to do it for the Lions and he says he never expected to end up using his higher-level Gaeilge in such circumstances.
“I didn’t think I’d have to bring it down to New Zealand and take it out of the locker. It’s been locked away there for 10 years, I haven’t spoken Irish in a long time.
I felt a bit of pressure before it and I was a bit nervous getting my language back and obviously getting my accent back. It was tricky enough.”
While those experiences off the pitch in the first week in New Zealand have been unforgettable for Henshaw and he is enjoying getting to know new team-mates, today marks the real beginning of his tour.
Henshaw wears the Lions’ 12 shirt as Warren Gatland’s side look for a momentum-boosting victory – and a convincing performance – over the Blues at Eden Park [KO 8.35am Irish time, Sky Sports].
It’s a huge clash, with the Lions already facing criticism after their feeble opening win over the Provincial Barbarians but Gatland will be encouraged to be bringing players like Henshaw, Maro Itoje, Ken Owens and Leigh Halfpenny into the mix today.
Henshaw in Lions training in New Zealand. Billy Stickland / INPHO
Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
This is a chance for the Lions to make a real statement about their quality and Henshaw is eager for them to bring a dominant mindset into the encounter with a Blues team that has been talked up this week.
“We need to come with an attack mentality here,” says Henshaw. “We can’t sit off and let these boys play because they can tear teams up in the blink of an eye.
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“Our mentality is to go after these teams and to show our mentality, that we’re coming here to play and to go after these teams in defence as well.”
Opposite Henshaw, a possible star of this tour, will be Sonny Bill Williams, a possible star for the All Blacks when the Test series rolls around.
The Ireland centre says he was a big fan of SBW’s, both in league and union, as he grew up and he is excited about the challenge of facing a player who possesses unique offloading skills.
“If he’s a one-out runner and there’s no one with him, obviously I’ll look to come in and make a double hit on him and try and stop his offload threat,” says Henshaw of how he will adapt his defensive game.
“But you have to obviously look at the guys who are flooding through as well. Often as a part of defence, you have to put a double-man tackle on him, one high and one low, and try and stop the offloads around it.
“It’s definitely going to be a tough challenge but I think we have the right men in place to execute a good defensive system.”
Speaking of which, Henshaw will be comforted by the presence of his intelligent, reliable and robust Ireland team-mate Jared Payne in the Lions’ midfield.
Dan Biggar is at 10 for the Lions. Billy Stickland / INPHO
Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
The established combination of Ospreys pair Rhys Webb and Dan Biggar in the halfbacks should allow the Lions to operate with solidity, while wings Elliot Daly and Jack Nowell are likely to roam, with fullback Halfpenny offering support.
Up front, Welshman Owens comes into the team as captain in a front row that also includes Ireland’s Jack McGrath and England’s Dan Cole, while Itoje is partnered by the hard-hitting Courtney Lawes in the second row.
There will be excitement to see how CJ Stander powers forward from number eight, while Justin Tipuric and James Haskell are a dynamic set of flankers.
Of course, the Blues are littered with All Blacks and freakish athletes, with the likes of Williams, Reiko Ioane, George Moala, Charlie Faumuina and Akira Ioane sure to cause the Lions problems.
Tana Umaga’s side also have a 20-year-old out-half making his first start in the prodigious Stephen Perofeta – who is nicknamed Stephen Pero-Future by his team-mates due to his rich potential.
While Perofeta looks certain to be a high-class player in the future and possesses the skills to stretch the Lions’ defence, Henshaw says the tourists can target the youngster.
“It’s his first start,” says the Lions inside centre. “He’ll be under a bit of pressure, and we’ll obviously look to put him under pressure, and that could be a way in for us early doors.
Henshaw is hungry for his first Lions chance. Billy Stickland / INPHO
Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
“If we get some good pressure on him early doors in the game that could get us that fast start that we want.”
A fast start would be greatly welcomed by Gatland as he looks for his team to get this tour up and running for good. Henshaw, as ever, will be leading the charge.
Blues:
15. Michael Collins
14. Matt Duffie
13. George Moala
12. Sonny Bill Williams
11. Rieko Ioane
10. Stephen Perofeta
9. Agustine Pulu
1. Ofa Tu’ungafasi
2. James Parsons (captain)
3. Charlie Faumuina
4. Gerard Cowley-Tuioti
5. Scott Scrafton
6. Akira Ioane
7. Blake Gibson
8. Steven Luatua
Replacements:
16. Hame Faiva
17. Alex Hodgman
18. Sione Mafileo
19. Jimmy Tupou
20. Kara Pryor
21. Sam Nock
22. Ihaia West
23. TJ Faiane
Lions:
15. Leigh Halfpenny
14. Jack Nowell
13. Jared Payne
12. Robbie Henshaw
11. Elliot Daly
10. Dan Biggar
9. Rhys Webb
1. Jack McGrath
2. Ken Owens (captain)
3. Dan Cole
4. Maro Itoje
5. Courtney Lawes
6. James Haskell
7. Justin Tipuric
8. CJ Stander
Replacements:
16. Rory Best
17. Joe Marler
18. Kyle Sinckler
19. Iain Henderson
20. Peter O’Mahony
21. Greig Laidlaw
22. Johnny Sexton
23. Liam Williams
Referee: Pascal Gaüzère [FFR].
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Gaeilgeor Robbie Henshaw set to light up his Lions tour against the Blues
Murray Kinsella reports from Auckland
IT WAS BETWEEN Tadhg Furlong and Robbie Henshaw for the job of speaking as Gaeilge on behalf of the Lions at Sunday’s memorable Māori welcoming ceremony in Waitangi Treaty Grounds, but the Westmeath man got the nod in the end.
“We had a discussion and seeing as I played in the west of Ireland, and it’s an Irish-speaking area, I was directly in line for it,” says former Connacht man Henshaw.
Henshaw called his sister Ali, a teacher back in Dubai, for some help and though he leaned on her fluent Irish to a degree, he proudly says it was “mostly my own work.”
It was a nice moment hearing the Leinster man speak Irish in such a serene and unique setting, as he introduced himself, thanked New Zealand for their welcome and praised the country’s great beauty.
Henshaw was honoured to do it for the Lions and he says he never expected to end up using his higher-level Gaeilge in such circumstances.
“I didn’t think I’d have to bring it down to New Zealand and take it out of the locker. It’s been locked away there for 10 years, I haven’t spoken Irish in a long time.
While those experiences off the pitch in the first week in New Zealand have been unforgettable for Henshaw and he is enjoying getting to know new team-mates, today marks the real beginning of his tour.
Henshaw wears the Lions’ 12 shirt as Warren Gatland’s side look for a momentum-boosting victory – and a convincing performance – over the Blues at Eden Park [KO 8.35am Irish time, Sky Sports].
It’s a huge clash, with the Lions already facing criticism after their feeble opening win over the Provincial Barbarians but Gatland will be encouraged to be bringing players like Henshaw, Maro Itoje, Ken Owens and Leigh Halfpenny into the mix today.
This is a chance for the Lions to make a real statement about their quality and Henshaw is eager for them to bring a dominant mindset into the encounter with a Blues team that has been talked up this week.
“We need to come with an attack mentality here,” says Henshaw. “We can’t sit off and let these boys play because they can tear teams up in the blink of an eye.
“Our mentality is to go after these teams and to show our mentality, that we’re coming here to play and to go after these teams in defence as well.”
Opposite Henshaw, a possible star of this tour, will be Sonny Bill Williams, a possible star for the All Blacks when the Test series rolls around.
The Ireland centre says he was a big fan of SBW’s, both in league and union, as he grew up and he is excited about the challenge of facing a player who possesses unique offloading skills.
“If he’s a one-out runner and there’s no one with him, obviously I’ll look to come in and make a double hit on him and try and stop his offload threat,” says Henshaw of how he will adapt his defensive game.
“But you have to obviously look at the guys who are flooding through as well. Often as a part of defence, you have to put a double-man tackle on him, one high and one low, and try and stop the offloads around it.
“It’s definitely going to be a tough challenge but I think we have the right men in place to execute a good defensive system.”
Speaking of which, Henshaw will be comforted by the presence of his intelligent, reliable and robust Ireland team-mate Jared Payne in the Lions’ midfield.
The established combination of Ospreys pair Rhys Webb and Dan Biggar in the halfbacks should allow the Lions to operate with solidity, while wings Elliot Daly and Jack Nowell are likely to roam, with fullback Halfpenny offering support.
Up front, Welshman Owens comes into the team as captain in a front row that also includes Ireland’s Jack McGrath and England’s Dan Cole, while Itoje is partnered by the hard-hitting Courtney Lawes in the second row.
There will be excitement to see how CJ Stander powers forward from number eight, while Justin Tipuric and James Haskell are a dynamic set of flankers.
Of course, the Blues are littered with All Blacks and freakish athletes, with the likes of Williams, Reiko Ioane, George Moala, Charlie Faumuina and Akira Ioane sure to cause the Lions problems.
Tana Umaga’s side also have a 20-year-old out-half making his first start in the prodigious Stephen Perofeta – who is nicknamed Stephen Pero-Future by his team-mates due to his rich potential.
While Perofeta looks certain to be a high-class player in the future and possesses the skills to stretch the Lions’ defence, Henshaw says the tourists can target the youngster.
“It’s his first start,” says the Lions inside centre. “He’ll be under a bit of pressure, and we’ll obviously look to put him under pressure, and that could be a way in for us early doors.
“If we get some good pressure on him early doors in the game that could get us that fast start that we want.”
A fast start would be greatly welcomed by Gatland as he looks for his team to get this tour up and running for good. Henshaw, as ever, will be leading the charge.
Blues:
15. Michael Collins
14. Matt Duffie
13. George Moala
12. Sonny Bill Williams
11. Rieko Ioane
10. Stephen Perofeta
9. Agustine Pulu
1. Ofa Tu’ungafasi
2. James Parsons (captain)
3. Charlie Faumuina
4. Gerard Cowley-Tuioti
5. Scott Scrafton
6. Akira Ioane
7. Blake Gibson
8. Steven Luatua
Replacements:
16. Hame Faiva
17. Alex Hodgman
18. Sione Mafileo
19. Jimmy Tupou
20. Kara Pryor
21. Sam Nock
22. Ihaia West
23. TJ Faiane
Lions:
15. Leigh Halfpenny
14. Jack Nowell
13. Jared Payne
12. Robbie Henshaw
11. Elliot Daly
10. Dan Biggar
9. Rhys Webb
1. Jack McGrath
2. Ken Owens (captain)
3. Dan Cole
4. Maro Itoje
5. Courtney Lawes
6. James Haskell
7. Justin Tipuric
8. CJ Stander
Replacements:
16. Rory Best
17. Joe Marler
18. Kyle Sinckler
19. Iain Henderson
20. Peter O’Mahony
21. Greig Laidlaw
22. Johnny Sexton
23. Liam Williams
Referee: Pascal Gaüzère [FFR].
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