Has Robbie Henshaw Fooled Us All?

Robbie Henshaw confirmed on Monday that he would be leaving Connacht at the end of the season.

Munster are no doubt the team that needs him most but unfortunately are not the most attractive club in Ireland at the moment- just ask Ian Madigan. Leinster fans have assured us- of course he’s going to Leinster, where else would he go?

It’s been one of the most talked about transfers in Irish rugby history with the 22 year-old widely touted as one of the best prospects to come out of the country in recent times. Many had hoped we would stay in Connacht and continue his growth and finally rid the feeder club moniker from high flying Connacht, who have undergone somewhat of a revolution under Pat Lam but unfortunately that is not the case.

What has made this sage so interesting since the announcement is that fact that both Munster coach Anthony Foley and Leinster coach Leo Cullen have both come out and denied or refused to speculate on Henshaw joining either of the provinces. Now gut this tells us he will join Leinster, even though it’s hard to argue against the fact that it is clearly the wrong move with Henshaw being an out and out thirteen and a certain Gary Ringrose already also plying his trade in that position but we won’t get into that. The question is- could Henshaw fool us all and link up with Les Kiss at Ulster?

Ulster have proved this season that they have become the form team in the country, no longer playing second-fiddle to Leinster or Munster and clearly have the financial muscle to back it up. The northern province have already got South African powerhouse Marcell Coetzee coming in next season along with New Zealand sensation Charles Piutau which shows a clear indication that Ulster are going to be a real force to be reckoned with next season.

Ulster will have the likes of Paddy Jackson, Craig Gilroy, Andrew Trimble, Tommy Bowe, Ruan Pienaar, Stuart McCloskey, Luke Marshall, Jared Payne and Charles Piutau at their disposal in the backline next year. Who says their isn’t room for Robbie Henshaw? After all teams don’t win European Cups- squads do, and Les Kiss is a shrewd operator.

At the same time… who’s to say he might not go one step further and move to England or France? We’ll just have to wait and see. Stranger things have happened.