Henson's hand stretches far and wide
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Demi-God Henson influence ranges far and wide. His acolytes at the Force serve him well and they joyously worship him in a bacchanalian frenzy, gathered together on islands and grooving with quokkas.
Henson`s hand: fate or punishment?
Friday 07th December 2007
Planetrugby
Allegations over Gavin Henson continue to surface, with the latest being that the broken hand which has put his Six Nations spot in jeopardy may not have been so innocently suffered.
Passengers on the train who complained of the behaviour of Henson and a group of friends he was with after last weekend's EDF Energy Cup match against Harlequins have now alleged that a part of the tomfoolery involved a drinking game, in which a forfeit was a swift punch to the face.
The Ospreys insisted Henson suffered the injury in the final quarter of the match. Henson did stay on the pitch though, even finishing Quins off with a try and conversion in the final moments.
But the train passengers alleged that the group's antics included a card game with a one and a half beer fine, and the penalty for a failure to complete that being a punch in the face from Henson.
"Gavin Henson clenched his fist and he hit them in the face," said one passenger to the Daily Mail.
"I saw it happen at least once but the other boy was happy for him to do it."
British Transport Police have said they are likely to interview Henson and his friends again following the complaints.
Henson will be able to continue fitness training while injured, but he will have only two precious weeks of full contact before Wales's Six Nations match against England on February 2.
"Gavin suffered the injury at around the 63rd-64th minute mark after driving into a ruck," said Ospreys' doctor, Rhydian Lewis.
"From reviewing the match video, it appears that an opposition boot accidentally came into contact with his hand and Gavin can clearly be seen holding his left hand as he got back to his feet."
An alcohol debate is currently raging in Wales at the moment, with Gareth Thomas confessing to a huge binge before the third British & Irish Lions Test in New Zealand two years ago, which left him unable to contribute much to the team in the build-up to the match.
Peter Herbert, Wales's fitness coach under Graham Henry's regime, has said that the drinking culture in the Welsh game is potentially ruinous.
"It's true there is still this drinking culture in Welsh rugby and we don't seem to be able to get rid of it," he said.
"It's a lot less than it used to be, but it's still there with a minority going on the booze too often.
"Boxers and athletes will tend not to take the risk of abusing their bodies during their season. They have so much desire to be the best they can be in their sport.
"I cannot condemn rugby players for wanting a beer, but it's a case of doing it in the right place at the right time.
"I'm sure English, New Zealand and South African players like a drink, but they know when to do it. We need to be more disciplined in Wales. [EDIT: Note the Force are not in this list...]
"Unfortunately, we are not there yet, despite trying to educate players about the damage alcohol can do to the body." [EDIT: And to Quokkas]
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