"He’s very aggressive as a carrier, but he can also distribute"

It was, for most, what was feared to be a hefty three to four month spell on the sidelines before Robbie Henshaw was expected to return, having undergone shoulder surgery after Ireland’s 56-19 win over Italy in February.

However, the 23-year-old Athlone native is likely to return to play at least some part this weekend, following his return to training last week.

Andy Dunne, former Leinster out-half, joined Ger and Paul Rouse on Off the Ball AM on Tuesday to assess how Henshaw’s return could impact Leinster and also other members in the squad, most notably Leinster veteran Isa Nacewa.

The three also discussed whether it was really the best idea to bring Henshaw straight in after so long out, instead of keeping Nacewa in the fold.

“I think it’s a tough one for the management and for Nacewa in particular but I think what Henshaw’s brought to that Leinster team is a slightly different dimension in the centre,” said Dunne.

“He’s very aggressive as a carrier, but he can also distribute and it’s one of the things Ireland have not used Henshaw regularly in that capacity.

“Schmidt has tended to use him as a very physical, kind of like, Bastareaud or one of these French ball carriers, to just smash it up the middle.

“Leinster use him in both ways, which is priceless in attack to have someone who can halt the opposition defence, to have to sit and wait to see is he going to carry, as soon as they do, he can swing passes off both hands at a distance.

“Nacewa’s probably more of a distributor and more of a subtle player in the centre than Henshaw, but I think in a European semi-final I can understand the logic in throwing him straight back in.”

Talk this week has also surrounded the fitness of scrum-half Luke McGrath, which will undoubtedly have a knock-on effect on the eligibility of other foreign players within the squad as Dunne mentioned.

“I would think that’s probably crucial to the overall performance of Leinster as well and the result possibly.

“I think McGrath is central to how they play, he takes quite a role and responsibility in terms of their defensive patterns and how they clear and exit from deep in their own territory.

“He’s a brilliant support runner, he constantly gets a 2^nd touch in attack, he’s finished off countless tries this year from offloads, from back-row players, from Lowe.

“I think there’s quite a gap between himself and Gibson-Park and McCarthy.”

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