Premiership sides hunting Henson
Two top Premiership sides are reportedly trying to sign Gavin Henson ahead of the new domestic season.
London Wasps and Harlequins are the two teams supposedly leading the race to sign Henson. Both of these teams could use an extra body in the middle of the park and Henson could suit either side.
The Welsh centre has been out of British domestic rugby since March of last year. Persistent injuries have disrupted his career but there could now be a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.
Henson was one of the most sought after players in the world when he held down a regular Wales starting place a few years ago. However, Ospreys are now toying with the idea of releasing him as he has not played for 18 months.
Playing qualities
As a player Henson has many qualities on the field although he has not been able to show these in great depth for a long time. He is likely to still be quite quick across the turf, which is important for any player who plays in the middle of the field.
He has very good vision and can open up any area of the opposition team. The more creative players Wasps or Harlequins have the better because it looks as though it will be the toughest Premiership season in history come the start of September.
Henson will have a greater desire and drive than ever before. This will mean he will grab any chance he gets with both hands because he'll want to show everyone connected with Wales that he's not over the hill. This will be the same if he ultimately stays on at Ospreys.
Ospreys elite performance director Andrew h**e said: "If Gavin returns to rugby we would expect him to come back to us. He is contracted to us and, having given him that break, we would like to think we have been very good to him. Discussions are still occurring and who knows what will happen?"
A massive gamble
What the likes of Wasps and Harlequins need to weigh up is just how much of a huge gamble trying to sig Henson would be. It's important to remember that he has not played rugby for a long time and this means he will be way off the pace of the game.
He's a very high profile player and will want a similar contract to the one he holds at Ospreys. This could force a Premiership side into offering terms that they may not feel the player deserves.
h**e added: "It is just a matter of where Gavin is at and what he wants to do. You can't force someone to do something they don't want to. It will be hard for him to come back and it will have to be done on a progressive basis, which will take some time."
Betting advice
Henson is not a bad player by any means but his career and immediate future look very foggy. Don't get drawn into any bets on him as an individual if you ultimately read stories about his return to training or something similar.
As for all of the club sides, all stand a great chance of doing well next season. Ospreys look one of the strongest teams in the Magners League and all teams would benefit from having Henson under contract.
Sit tight for now and wait to see what happens in the remaining two weeks before the season starts. You can then judge the team that will be in the strongest position and who has the best chance of success.
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