The year 2005 saw a Six Nations debut to remember for Gavin Henson: in front of a full house in Cardiff, he landed the winning kick against England to get the ball rolling as Wales sought their first Grand Slam in 27 years.
It was their first victory against England since Wembley in 1999, and what a win it was. In the pressurised environment of Test rugby, Henson displayed a cool that would become his trademark to give Wales a crucial two-point lead as they went on to win 11-9 against the reigning world champions.
A month later, in an interview with the Guardian, Henson said of the kick: ‘I look back at it now and think, ‘Oh, thank God that went over.’ But I never think like that when I’m doing it. I just tell myself not to kick too hard. I know I’ve got the distance. Just relax.’
“When we were warming up in our changing room, we had a big press wall and every article was me saying something. I looked at that and thought, ‘Right then, I’ve got to produce it today, I suppose. I’ve been talking a good game all week, now I’ve got to do it.’”
And Henson sure did do it. A kick that’s remembered as vividly today as it was 15 years ago.
Henson’s heroics, 2005 won Round One with 61% of the vote. You can vote for it in the final by clicking here.
