Young Gun: Robbie Henshaw – Connacht full-back

Battling  Biarritz and Harlequins in the Heineken Cup, mauling European champions Leinster and becoming a vital cog of his home region, as well as training with the national team – yet less than a year ago Connacht‘s Robbie Henshaw was captaining his school!
Henshaw, 19, has burst onto the scene for Connacht this season as part of a talented group of youngsters in Galway.
He impressed enough for the Connacht academy to earn a full two-year contract in December but any thought he would feature in all 13 of Connacht’s domestic games – starting ten – were far from his and the club’s mind.
Indeed so rapid has his rise been that the full-back isn’t listed as a member of the first-team squad on the Connacht website.
But his form following slotting in due to injuries has been so impressive, Ireland international Gavin Duffy has been struggling to usurp his position.
In March last year Henshaw was captaining Marist College, playing for Buccaneers in the Ulster Bank All-Ireland League and hoping just to make it into the academy.
In July he was signed and he admits his rise has left him pinching himself.
“To be out there playing is just unbelievable,” he said. “I’m running onto the field and looking into the stands where I was standing to watch just a little while ago.
“It is amazing, I absolutely love playing week-in week-out and I didn’t really think I would be where I was at the start of the season.
“I got a bit lucky because there were injuries but I’ve become a regular since and seem to have been playing well enough to stay in the shirt. All the lads have welcomed me. I was a bit scared the first couple of weeks I moved up into the first team but the lads are really helpful.”
Henshaw’s impressive form for Connacht has led head coach Eric Elwood to tip him for future honours with Ireland, something he came a step closer to with his call-up to the 39-man Six Nations training squad.
But the former Ireland U19 player claims he is taking his career step by step – the first of which is to break a try-scoring duck.
“That is probably the next step,” he said. “It would be amazing to score my first league try and I really hope I can do it when we come back from the break.
“A few of my friends from school have asked me to do a celebration for them when I score. I think it will probably be a dance move, the worm. But the long-term aim is to play for Ireland and I really respect Eric so to have a man of his stature say that is unbelievable.
“I really hope we’re the next generation although it’s sad to see the older guys moving on. There are a lot of guys coming through, though, and I just need to make sure I’m playing well enough to hopefully someday get that call-up.”
While Connacht remains the little brother of Irish region powerhouses Leinster and Munster, they have sprung their own surprises including a 34-6 humbling of Leinster in September.
And Henshaw claims the quality of the youth at his club, with centres Dave McSharry and Eoin Griffin, plus wing Tiernan O’Halloran and scrum-half Kieran Marmion all under 23, could see a shift in status.
“We’re building a squad here and gaining more confidence,” he said. “Playing with the younger lads helps and I think it’s brilliant how we’ve come through the academy and showing how good we can be.
“We are starting to run with the ball and next year will be massive because nothing will be new.”