Iain Henderson has had more than his fair share of injuries in latter years, missing the New Zealand tour and the November series. Even so, he still managed to play in four legs of Ireland’s Grand Slam before cruelly missing out on the England finale and at 31 is in line to go to his Third World Cup.
What’s more, among his 72 caps, Henderson has played in nine of Ireland’s 10 matches at the last two World Cups. He also echoes the views of other team-mates in believing that the preparations for this one have been strikingly different.
“There’s been a huge focus on the group working hard and buying into what we’re doing, a huge focus of us playing the way we want to play, a huge focus put on rugby aside from the mental and conditioning side of things.
“That’s not to say we haven’t worked hard. I’d say there have been sessions in this preseason that have been the toughest in my career. However, in a much more rugby-specific capacity rather than an all-out gym or fitness session. That’s probably been how it differs.”
If there was an obvious flaw in Ireland’s performances at the last World Cup it is that the team had not evolved since their all-conquering 2018 calendar year, and Andy Farrell and co are clearly seeking to avoid a repeat.
“In terms of the mood around the place, I suppose there was still a massive level of excitement going into the last World Cup but in this we’re coming off the back of our last Six Nations into this campaign and in this block of training we have really looked to build on what we’ve done before rather than maintain it.
“We’ve looked and said, yes we obviously did well in the Six Nations but there were plenty of games we could have fixed up, the Italy game, the Scotland game, there were plenty of fix-ups. The England game, yes we won but a lot of it wasn’t pretty.
“So, there’s huge areas there for us to get better on and I think that’s something that the coaches, coming into this block, were really able to pinpoint where we need to get better and how we can do that.”
This is particularly true of Ireland’s well-oiled attacking game, with Ireland intent on keeping the opposing guessing, albeit Henderson stressed: “We’re not trying to completely reinvent the wheel.
“It’s slight nuances in how we like to attack in positions we like to attack from, our shape in phase play, how they’re going to be slightly changed going forward and how we’re going to play things.
“Obviously I’m not going to sit here and explain them all,” he added, chuckling, “and the full ins and outs of how we’re going to try and get better but the coaches have put a pretty good plan in place and it’s exciting to see how the group of players have adapted to those changes and hopefully we’re going to see them come to fruition in this block of games prior to the World Cup.”
Henderson’s enjoyment of life in this Irish squad is palpable. It’s also never too late to learn and like all the forwards in the squad, the Ulster lock is clearly revelling from working with Paul O’Connell.
“Paul’s incredible, on a daily basis he has micro-chats with you, fixing things up and making sure people are staying on top of detail. His desire and love for the game is probably unrivalled to anyone I’ve been coached by before.
“As a player I was a good bit younger than him and maybe wasn’t quite as appreciative of how much time and effort he put in then, and what he’s been able to do is instil what he loves doing, in terms of his analysis. He’s been able to bring it into his coaching and make it more infectious for the rest of the players.
“In 2015 I was 23 and probably miles off where our 23-year-olds are now, but was unaware of his love for the game. To see him back in and being a sounding board for more of less the whole back five and frontrow as well is phenomenal for us, to have him there. His continuous input is invaluable.”
A prime example of the newer, more advanced breed will be packing down alongside Henderson tomorrow, in the considerable shape of the 22-year-old Joe McCarthy on his full Test debut.
“He’s been a physical specimen. He’s powerful, strong and he has that desire and ability to want to learn, not only about scrum or lineout but the game as a whole as well,” said Henderson of his latest secondrow partner.
“He’ll do amazing things for years to come in an Irish jersey, I have no doubt in my mind. He’s light years ahead of where I was when I was his age.
“I was actually chatting about it with a few of the lads the other day, he’s one of the lads I’m most excited about seeing this weekend playing. I think he’s really going to take this and grasp this opportunity prior to the World Cup.”
