Robbie Henshaw (born 12 June 1993) is an Irish

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

player. He plays primarily as a

centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

, although he can also play fullback. Henshaw currently plays for Irish provincial team

Leinster Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of ...

in the United Rugby Championship, and internationally for

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

Early life

Born in

Athlone Athlone (; ) is a town on the border of County Roscommon and County Westmeath, Ireland. It is located on the River Shannon near the southern shore of Lough Ree. It is the second most populous town in the Midlands Region with a population of ...

, Henshaw grew up in the suburb

Coosan Coosan () is a townland and suburb just north of Athlone, County Westmeath in Ireland. The suburb is surrounded on three sides by Lough Ree and on one side by Athlone. Coosan attracts tourists over the summer months due to its location on the ...

and was a student at

Marist College Marist College is a private university in Poughkeepsie, New York. Founded in 1905, Marist was formed by the Marist Brothers, a Catholic religious institute, to prepare brothers for their vocations as educators. In 2003, it became a secular in ...

in the town. In 2011 he was part of the Buccaneers Under 19 team that won Connacht League and Cup and the All Ireland League. He was captain of the school's rugby team in 2012 when they won their first Connacht Senior Schools Cup in 35 years. In addition to rugby Henshaw also played

Gaelic football Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by ki ...

in his youth. He played for the

senior team at just 18 years old, and played for the Westmeath minor team in 2010 and 2011. Henshaw comes from a sporting family with a history of involvement in the GAA, while his uncle David Henshaw played rugby for Buccaneers and Connacht. The family also has a lot of musical talent, with Henshaw himself playing the accordion, fiddle, guitar and piano. His musical and sporting versatility have earned him the nickname "One Man Band" and "Old Man Bob Henshaw" amongst his teammates.

Rugby career

Connacht

Henshaw was part of the under-age set up with

Connacht Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms ( Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and ...

, and was part of the Connacht team that completed a Grand Slam in the Under-20 Interprovincial Championship in 2011. He entered the Connacht academy ahead of the 2012–13 season. Henshaw was given his first cap for Connacht's senior team by

Eric Elwood Eric Elwood is a former Irish rugby union player from Galway. He played as a fly-half. He played for Ireland internationally, and provincially for Connacht. He split his club career between hometown club Galwegians and Lansdowne in Dublin, st ...

on 1 September 2012. He replaced

Eoin Griffin Eoin Griffin (Irish name: ''Eoghan Ó Griofa''; born 18 September 1990) is a former professional rugby union player from Ireland. He primarily played as a centre, and played both outside and inside channels. Griffin last played for Connacht in ...

at outside centre against

Cardiff Blues Cardiff Rugby ( cy, Rygbi Caerdydd) are one of the four professional Welsh rugby union teams. They compete in the United Rugby Championship and in European Professional Club Rugby competitions. Based in Cardiff, the team play at Cardiff Arm ...

in the opening game of the

2012–13 Pro12 The 2012–13 Pro12 League (also known as the ''RaboDirect Pro12'' for sponsorship reasons) was the 12th season of the rugby union competition originally known as the Celtic League, the third with its current 12-team format, and the second with R ...

. Henshaw made a total of 17 appearances in the competition, with all but three of these coming as starts, and scored his first try for the side on 12 April 2013 against

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

. He predominantly played as a fullback over the course of the season. Henshaw made his European debut for the province in Connacht's opening pool fixture of the

2012–13 Heineken Cup The 2012–13 Heineken Cup was the 18th season of the Heineken Cup, the annual rugby union European club competition for clubs from the top six nations in European rugby. The tournament began with two pool matches on 12 October 2012 and ended with ...

against

Zebre Zebre Parma (, meaning "Zebras") are an Italian professional rugby union team competing in the United Rugby Championship and EPCR competitions from the 2012–13 season. They are based in Parma (Emilia-Romagna), Italy. They are operated by the ...

on 13 October 2012, and went on to start in all of Connacht's Heineken Cup matches that season. In December 2012, Henshaw signed his first senior contract with the province, a two-year deal keep him with the province until the end of the 2014–15 season. Ahead of the 2013–14 season

left the province and was replaced with Pat Lam. Despite the change of coach, Henshaw continued to play regularly for Connacht, being used both at fullback and centre. He played 18 times in the

2013–14 Pro12 The 2013–14 Pro12 (also known as the ''RaboDirect Pro12'' for sponsorship reasons) was the 13th season of the Pro12 rugby union competition originally known as the Celtic League, the fourth with its current 12-team format, and the third with Rab ...

, starting all but one of these games and scoring three tries. Henshaw also started all six of Connacht's games in the

2013–14 Heineken Cup The 2013–14 Heineken Cup was the 19th and final season of the Heineken Cup, the annual rugby union European club competition for clubs from the top six nations in European rugby. The pool stage began on 11 October 2013 and ran through to 17–19 ...

, including a victory over

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and fr ...

in France. Henshaw signed a contract extension with Connacht in November 2013, extending his time with the province to summer 2016. In the 2014–15 season, Henshaw spent more time with the Irish team so did not feature as much for Connacht. He played 12 times in the

league League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football Sports * Sports league * Rugby league, full contact footba ...

, starting each time, and scoring a try against the

. In Europe, Connacht took part in the 2014–15 Challenge Cup, the second tier competition. Henshaw started four of the team's six pool stage matches, scoring two tries against

La Rochelle La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. Wi ...

, and the quarter-final against

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east o ...

. He also started in Connacht's final game of the season a

play-off The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

for the final spot in the 2015–16 Champions Cup. Connacht again faced Gloucester away, and were leading 18–25 in the final minutes of the game, but a controversial penalty decision from

Romain Poite Romain Poite (born 14 September 1975) is a French former rugby union international referee. Poite retired in November 2021 after refereeing 72 tests, refereeing the third-most international tests in international rugby behind Nigel Owens (Wales) ...

gave Gloucester a try-scoring opportunity and sent the match to extra time, after which Gloucester emerged 40–32 victors, Henshaw having played the full 100 minutes. Henshaw missed Connacht's opening games of the 2015–16 Pro12 due to the

2015 Rugby World Cup The 2015 Rugby World Cup was the eighth Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial rugby union world championship. The tournament was hosted by England from 18 September to 31 October. Of the 20 countries competing in the World Cup in 2011, there was on ...

. He returned to the squad in October, but was not available to play until November, when he was named in the side against Benetton Treviso. On 14 February 2016, it was confirmed by Connacht Rugby that Henshaw would be leaving the province at the end of the 2015-16 season. He decided to join Leinster Rugby after the 2015-16 season On 28 May 2016, Henshaw was part of the Connacht team that won their first ever major trophy, the 2015–16 Pro12 after a 20-10 win against

in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

Leinster

On 8 October 2016, Henshaw made his debut for Leinster in a 25-14

Pro12 The United Rugby Championship (URC) is an annual rugby union competition involving professional teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales. The current name was adopted in 2021 when the league expanded to include four South Af ...

win against

Munster Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following t ...

at the

Aviva Stadium Aviva Stadium (also known as Lansdowne Road) is a sports stadium located in Dublin, Ireland, with a capacity for 51,700 spectators (all seated). It is built on the site of the former Lansdowne Road Stadium, which was demolished in 2007, and ...

International

Ireland

Youth and developmental

Henshaw represented Ireland at various under-age levels during his development. In November 2011, he became the first player from

or any Athlone-based school to represent the Irish schools team, and was part of the team that won the Under-18 European Championships. He also represented the country at under-19 level. Henshaw was named in

training squad for the

2013 Six Nations Championship The 2013 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2013 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 14th series of the Six Nations Championship, the annual northern hemisphere rugby union championship ...

, and played 58 minutes at fullback for the

Ireland Wolfhounds The Ireland Wolfhounds (formerly Ireland A and Ireland B) are the second national rugby union team of Ireland, behind the Ireland national team. They previously competed in the Churchill Cup together with the England Saxons, the national teams ...

in a friendly against

England Saxons England A is England's men's second national rugby union team. The team has previously been known by a number of names, such as England B, Emerging England and, most recently, England Saxons. England A play a key role in the development of em ...

on 25 January 2013. Henshaw was released from the senior squad in February and made his debut for Ireland Under-20 on 8 February 2013, starting at fullback in the side's 16–15 victory against

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

Senior team

Henshaw was called up to the Ireland squad for the 2013 end-of-year rugby union tests. He came off the bench against

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

on 16 November 2013, firstly as a blood-replacement for

Brian O'Driscoll Brian Gerard O'Driscoll (born 21 January 1979) is an Irish former professional rugby union player. He played at outside centre for the Irish provincial team Leinster and for Ireland. He captained Ireland from 2003 until 2012, and captained the ...

and then as a replacement for Rob Kearney. Henshaw started for

in their friendly against

on 25 January 2014. Henshaw was named in Ireland's 34-man squad for the opening two fixtures of the

2014 Six Nations Championship The 2014 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2014 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 15th series of the Six Nations Championship, the annual northern hemisphere rugby union championship. ...

but did not play in the tournament. He made two appearances in the 2014 end-of-year international wins against

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

and

. In 2015, Henshaw was included in the Ireland squad for the

2015 Six Nations Championship The 2015 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2015 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 16th series of the Six Nations Championship, the annual rugby union tournament. It was contested by ...

. On 1 March 2015, Henshaw scored his first try for Ireland in a 19-9 victory over England in Ireland's third game of the 2015 Six Nations. Henshaw was included in the Irish squad for the

. After missing out on a place in the first pool stage games against Romania and Canada, Henshaw resumed his role in the starting team for his World Cup debut against Italy. Henshaw went on to play full games against both France and Argentina, the latter of which saw Ireland reach the end of their World cup journey. On 5 November 2016, Henshaw scored the winning try against New Zealand in Soldier Field, Chicago. Henshaw received the ball off an attacking five-metre scrum and beat three tacklers to touch down.

Lions

Henshaw was a member of the 2017

British & Irish Lions The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The Lions are a test side and most often select players who have already played for their national ...

tour of New Zealand. Henshaw was sent home early after an injury against the Hurricanes, having started against the Chiefs, Highlanders and Blues through the tour. Henshaw was joined on the ride back home by fellow injured back George North. On 6 May 2021, Henshaw was named in the squad for the

2021 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa The 2021 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa was an international rugby union tour that took place in South Africa in July and August 2021. The British & Irish Lions, a team selected from players eligible to represent England, Ireland, Sco ...

. Henshaw started at 12 and 13 in all three tests, being one of 9 players to do so.

References

External links

*
Leinster ProfileIreland ProfileBritish & Irish Lions ProfilePro14 Profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Henshaw, Robbie Living people 1993 births Alumni of the University of Galway Athlone Gaelic footballers British & Irish Lions rugby union players from Ireland Buccaneers RFC players Connacht Rugby players Gaelic footballers who switched code Ireland international rugby union players Ireland Wolfhounds international rugby union players Irish rugby union players Leinster Rugby players People educated at Marist College, Athlone Rugby union centres Rugby union fullbacks Westmeath Gaelic footballers