Henson tipped to shine

The Wales star bounced back following a two-year spell rocked by injuries and suspensions to impress on and off the pitch during the summer tour to Australia.

Henson, who was this week named in Gareth Jenkins’s 41-man provisional Rugby World Cup squad, is now on course to play a significant role in the showpiece tournament this autumn.

Wales Attack Coach Nigel Davies said: “Gavin’s in very good shape and had a great tour with us. By his own admission, he’s been under a bit of a cloud for the past couple of years, but in Australia he was a breath of fresh air.

“He was part of the team, he trained particularly well and he enjoyed himself on and off the field. He will have opportunities in the first couple of games and he is a player who, if he is playing to his ability, can make a difference in a World Cup environment.”

The British and Irish Lions centre, 25, enhanced his Wales prospects on his return to the international fold with two substitute appearances in the Test defeats Down Under.

Davies says Henson will be given a chance to stake a claim for a starting place during Wales’s warm-up matches. Davies added: “His performances when he came on as a replacement were particularly good and it’s something we can build on this summer.

“Gav is certainly heading in the right direction and will have opportunities to show what he can do in the first couple of warm-up games.”