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Gavin Henson

Personal information
Full name	Gavin Henson
Date of birth	1 February 1982 (1982-02-01) (age 28)
Place of birth	Bridgend, Mid Glamorgan, Wales
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight	11st 0lb - 14st 7lb [1]
Nickname	Gav, Glord
School	Plas-y-Felin Primary School, Brynteg Comprehensive
Rugby union career
Playing career
Position	Centre, fly-half, fullback
Clubs played for
Years	Club / team	Caps	Points
Professional / senior clubs
?-2003 2003-	Swansea Ospreys	? 85	(?) (773)
correct as of 01:36, 3 December 2007 (UTC).
National team(s)
2001- 2005	Wales British and Irish Lions	31 1	(130) (0)
correct as of 21:36, 21 March 2009 (UTC).

Gavin Lloyd Henson (born 1 February 1982 in Bridgend) is a Welsh rugby union player who plays for the Ospreys regional side in the Magners League and Heineken Cup, and the national team. He attracted much media attention as part of a Wales team which achieved Grand Slams in the Six Nations Championship in 2005 and 2008. He has also played for the British and Irish Lions, touring in 2005 to New Zealand but has never appeared at a World Cup. Henson has played in a variety of positions including fly-half, fullback and inside centre. After an extended spell out of the national side, including missing the 2007 Rugby World Cup, he was recalled by caretaker coach Nigel Davies, being included in the squad to play against South Africa.

Career

Gavin played rugby for his school, Brynteg Comprehensive, Bridgend, Wales. Despite his Bridgend origins, he joined Swansea RFC at the age of 18. He was promptly the International Rugby Board's Young Player of the Year in 2001.^[2] During which time he had started paving the way to his international career by signing for the Wales A team. He made his international debut for Wales during June 2001 in a Test against Japan, coming off the bench. He then started his next match, at fly-half in a game against Romania in September. In November of that year he played for Wales A against Uruguay, scoring his first try in an international.

In 2003 regional rugby was launched in Wales, and Henson now played for the Ospreys. He made his debut for the Ospreys off the bench on 9 September 2003 in a match against Ulster, scoring two tries and kicking both a penalty and conversion to score 15 points. He was elevated to fly-half for the subsequent match against the Newport-Gwent Dragons, scoring 14 points from kicks in that game as well. Henson return to the international field for Wales in 2003. He played twice, though he was on the bench for another two Tests. He was capped against both the All Blacks and Romania.

Henson came to wider notice in 2004 with a series of excellent performances in Wales' autumn internationals against New Zealand and South Africa. Henson became a firm part of the Welsh starting lineup, and after playing at fullback in the second Test against Argentina and the first against South Africa, he remained in the centres for the remainder of the season.

He remained on the team for the 2005 Six Nations championship. In Wales' opening fixture in February, at home to England, Henson gave an effective performance culminating in a successful 48 m penalty kick and much media attention.^[3][4]

Henson in action for the Ospreys

Back in his club side, Henson was part of a team which took the Celtic League cup: in the deciding match (Ospreys v Edinburgh, 26 March 2005), he scored 24 of his side's 29 points. ^[5]

In the (northern hemisphere) summer of the same year, Henson was a member of the Lions tour of New Zealand. He was "devastated not to be playing" in the first Test.^[6] When he did get selected for the second test he was unfortunately injured and could not play in the final test. A groin injury delayed his return to club rugby in the autumn of the year. Within months of his Ospreys return, Henson was cited (reported following a game for events during it) for kicking and elbowing Leicester prop Alex Moreno in a game against Leicester on 19 December 2005. He was found not guilty of the kicking offence, but guilty of the elbowing. He was initially suspended for ten weeks and two days: this period was reduced on appeal to seven weeks. Following this suspension and a single game at club level, he returned to international rugby against Ireland but did not shine.

In October 2005 Henson's My Grand Slam Year (ISBN 0-00-721686-6), was published. Comments about the Lions tour and remarks about other players ensured rapid publicity and Henson had to apologise to his team-mates. ^[7]

He was not selected in the Wales squad for the 2007 Rugby World Cup by then coach Gareth Jenkins, after failing to prove his fitness after recovering from an Achilles tendon injury.

Henson was recalled to the Welsh Squad by caretaker coach Nigel Davies, to play against South Africa shortly after the 2007 Rugby World Cup. He then started for of all of Wales 2008 Six Nations Championship games, Wales then went on to win the Grand Slam for the second time in four seasons. Henson lost his first 6 Nations match which he started on the 21st of March 2009 as Ireland beat Wales in Cardiff 17-15, to win the Grand Slam.

Henson was named man of the match in the EDF cup Semi Final on 22 March 2008 when the Ospreys beat Saracens 30-3.

On 13 July 2009, British tabloid newspaper, The Sun, announced that Henson planned to retire immediately from rugby and spend more time sailing.^[8] On 14 July 2009, Henson and the Ospreys issued a joint statement denying the player has any intention of quitting the game. Henson said, "I've certainly been having difficulties with the recurring injury but I have absolutely no intention of quitting the game".^[9]

Off the field

His relationship with singer Charlotte Church, is well covered by the media in the United Kingdom. On 20 September 2007, Church gave birth to a daughter named Ruby Megan Henson.^[10]. On 11 January 2009, Church gave birth to the couple's second child, a son named Dexter Lloyd Henson.^[11] The baby weighed 7lb 5oz.^[12] Henson was excused from a 13 December 2008 Heineken Cup match against Benetton Treviso because Church was set to deliver about a month prematurely, however this never happened.^[13]

He appears in adverts for Nike pro, Matalan, and for one of the Wales national team sponsors, Brains brewery.

On 10 December 2007, Henson was charged along with three other men with disorderly conduct after alleged "rowdy" behaviour while they were travelling on the 19:37 First Great Western train from London Paddington to Cardiff Central on 2 December 2007.^[14] They had been summoned to appear at Cardiff Magistrates' Court on 14 January 2008, but the case against Henson was later dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service due to insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction.^[15]

On 1 April 2009, it was reported on the BBC that Henson was cautioned by police .^[16] "in relation to the incident" following an investigations of assault at a premises in Cardiff's St. Mary's Street on 15 February.

In 2009 Mike Turner of the Celtic Crusaders (who play in Super League) stated that if Henson ever thought of switiching to rugby league the club would be happy to talk to him.^[17] Since this time Henson has made no official statement on the subject, shown any intent with regards to joining a Super League club or held any talks with the Crusaders, although he regularly attended their matches in 2009.^[18]

He is seriously considering a switch to rugby league side Crusaders and could possibly join soon.^[19]

Honours

• British & Irish Lions
• Wales U16
• Wales U18
• Wales U19
• Wales Development XV
• Wales A
• Wales U21
• Wales

References

External links

• Ospreys profile
• Wales profile
• Biography on biogs.com