The guy comes across as thinking he is bigger than Welsh rugby.

In the ScrumV interview he is largely talking about self accomplishments not how he wants to work hard and do things for the whole team. I get the feeling he just wants to be able to say he went to a world cup. Definitely did not come across as humble in the ScrumV interview which is what I think will need to happen for the welsh players to accept him within a team. The problem with Henson is regardless of talent, he is just as likely to mess up the morale of the Wales team. One to three games to get back in a 6 nations wales side… very humble and modest Mr. Henson!

Fundamentally, I agree entirely that much of the nonsense in the press stems from the fact that he’s ‘Gavin Henson’. It’s a slightly specious comparison, but Rhys Williams or Gareth Delve don’t get anything like the same amount of abuse for being players of the same generation whose careers have been beset by injury, and who haven’t perhaps hit the heights that their performances at 19/20 suggested they were destined for. Perhaps they might if they sold a few more magazines? Or rather, any magazines!

As I said in my earlier post, I’m in total agreement about his merits – he’s a unique talent, and we’ve not the player base in Wales to be able to ignore someone of his abilities. Let’s hope he gets fit, gets some game time and plays to the level that he’s capable of.

Yes he has been one of the few with the Ospreys since their inception – but he has only played 4 games less than Shane and I still think that is an important point. The points thing is as a kicker of course but I dont mean that as a point in itself but as an answer to the ‘what has Henson ever done for the ospreys’ critics – the answer is an awful lot. And that was my main point with this post, to give an answer to a lot of the unbased criticsms.

Of course over the last few years Gavin Henson won’t have done as well, he’s had a nightmare with injuries. But wasn’t the injury he felt that was ‘not right’ the same one he ended up incurring about 5 or 6 games later for the Ospreys? Seems he may well have had a point.

He may not take the field when he feels he is not fully right, but look at th abuse he got when he did do it – when he replaced Stephen Jones at 10 against Ireland in 2006, had a ‘mare and was slated by anyone and everyone for playing when he wasn’t right. Seems to me Henson can’t win, damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t.

Look at the list of IRB youth player of the years since Henson won it in 2001. One exception aside (Luke McCalister in 2002) how well have these guys done? Henson is actually ahead of the curve. Only Jerome Kaino can be considered to be about as influential as Henson (and then I would doubt it).

Thats the problem often – ‘he looks healthy when on holiday’ feck me, theres an issue. I bet he would look healthy the day he comes off crutches or gets an arm out of plaster too. Of course the newspapers and mags use the ones where he looks good – Gavin Henson is a name and a pin up that sells mags/papers.

I’m not trying to say he’s a saint, he’s not. I am not trying to say he’s the best he could be – he isn’t, and I’m not trying to say he hasn’t got faults – he has. But in the main they are not all the huge and only slightly more than most players – but get magnified because its ‘Gavin Henson’.