My Life in Rugby: Rob Henderson – former Ireland and Lions centre

My highest and lowest moments in rugby both started with a phonecall from Donal Lenihan.
In 1999 he gave me the call to say I wouldn’t be going to the World Cup – and I missed 2003 due to injury – but in 2001 he rang to say I’d be going with the Lions to Australia.
I was lucky enough to start all three Tests, which was special when you look at the competition in the centres. I was there with Brian O’Driscoll, while we also had Mike Catt and Will Greenwood, the first choice England pairing.
In the warm-up games I was in good form and scored four tries so I think I got the Test spot on merit.
It wasn’t a bad line-up with Rob Howley, Jonny Wilkinson and Brian O’Driscoll in the midfield with me, and then Jason Robinson out wide.
My abiding memory is running out in the first Test and seeing that sea of red. We knew there were a lot of Lions fans there but that took everyone by surprise.
The first Test was fantastic and I thought Martin Corry was very unlucky to miss out on the second Test.
When I look back now, the Nathan Grey incident with Richard Hill still stands out, as well as Justin Harrison’s lineout steal.
I was also the man who Jonny Wilkinson was trying to pass to when Joe Roff scored his intercept try which was one of the turning points. There was also a period in the second Test when they were down to 14 men and we couldn’t score.
Despite the result that was an incredible experience, but I have to say right up there was winning in Paris in 2000 with Ireland.
Everyone remembers Brian’s hat-trick, and it was obviously the first time we’d won there since 1972.
But the moment that sticks out was Denis Hickie’s fantastic tackle to stop their guy just before the line. I think that was when we realised if Denis was making tackles like that, we really could win.
At club level I had some great experiences in the Heineken Cup, especially after moving to Munster.
A lot of people remember a tackle of mine in 2003 on Austin Healey. It was a great hit but contrary to popular belief, it wasn’t a case of targeting Austin, he’s actually a top bloke.
It was more that I’d missed the tackle on Geordan Murphy that led to Leicester‘s try in the first half, and had just missed another and he was the one who paid the price.
That year we ended up losing to Toulouse in the semis, having lost to Leicester’s ‘Hand Of Back’ in Cardiff the year before.
I was on the bench when we finally won that first European cup. It was very special to be part of, with Peter Stringer making probably the only break in ten years for the winning try – you might as well save it for the big stage!
We then spent the next four days celebrating before preparing for my last game with Munster. Despite the state we were in, it just clicked and we beat Cardiff easily.
I’d moved to Munster in 2001 after four great years with Wasps, but before that I’d started at London Irish where I got to work under Clive Woodward. He was a real innovator and used to get us practising all sorts of different backs moves.
I really enjoyed my time at all three clubs and then had a year with Toulon after I finished at Munster in 2006.
That was my final season in the end with injuries meaning I had to retire but I still try play the odd veterans game.