World Cup Contenders: Iain Henderson

One of the biggest success stories to come out of Ireland’s Northernmost province over the last few seasons has been Iain Henderson. Forced to live in the shadow of the likes of Johann Muller, and Stephen Ferris, Henderson worked tirelessly to get his shot, and now that his time seems to have come, he has not missed a beat.

One of Henderson’s positive attributes is his versatility. Able to play in the backrow and the second row, he has rapidly become a key figure for Ireland off the bench. Against France, he stemmed the tide of the massive French runners late in the second half, and was a good target with ball in hand. A very good lineout jumper, Henderson is an integral part of the Irish setup, but has yet to solidify himself as a starter.

Henderson suffered an injury and was out for the beginning of this season, including Ireland’s undefeated Guinness Series. However, he used this time very positively, and has come back, bigger and better. In the Ireland Wolfhounds match that featured the likes of Jack Conan, Sam Burgess, Luke Fitzgerald and Keith Earls, Henderson was one of the stars of the show, setting himself up for a series of good showings off the bench for Ireland in the 6 Nations.

Described by Jamie Heaslip as a player with “Magic Feet” Henderson is an elusive, intelligent, and powerful runner, who loves to get his hands free for offloads. Henderson runs outstanding lines, and holds nothing back when he gets to run with ball in hand. A good tackler as well, Henderson always brings a very good workrate whenever he plays. In Ulster’s key Pro12 match against Leinster, Henderson made an impressive 18 tackles, 45 meters with ball in hand, and beat 5 defenders en route to a 26-10 victory over the three time European Champions. That was no fluke, as Henderson had also made 16 tackles in Ulster’s heart pounding win over Connacht.

Henderson has matured enormously over this season, and he has become much more of a threat at the breakdown. As Henderson continues to improve this area of the game, he has also improved his ability in the loose, and has continued to get stronger every season. That said, Devin Toner has proven to be the favorite of Ireland coach Joe Schmidt for his excellent work in the set-pieces. Peter O’Mahony has been in flying form this season, and Paul O’Connell is unlikely to be replaced in the middle of this season, especially given that he is the captain of the side. This means that Henderson is still likely to be viewed as a bench presence heading into the World Cup.

While Ulster’s Pro12 title dreams fell short, Henderson played superbly, one of the standouts of a very dangerous side. An ever growing part of the Irish side, Henderson is largely viewed as the answer when Paul O’Connell rides off into the French sunset next season, however, with his current form, he could give Devin Toner a run for his money going into the World Cup.