Robbie Henshaw wasn’t short of offers from abroad before he put pen to paper on his latest contract extension with the IRFU.
Toulon and Toulouse were reportedly keen on landing the Leinster centre’s services if he chose to seek pastures new next summer.
It’s no surprise that some of the Top14 heavyweights have been keen to secure the Athlone native’s services.
No doubt, his head may have been turned by some of these French behemoths.
Who wouldn’t fancy a few years playing alongside Antoine Dupont and earning a nice wedge at the same time? Plenty of trophies, too.
But the Irish system always had an edge in many facets. The lure of representing your country is always a powerful motivator and the player management is second to none.
‘We are so well looked after, from coaching, facilities, sports science and player management perspectives,’ he noted yesterday.
Henshaw may have suffered his fair share of injury setbacks, but he is one of the best midfielders on the planet when fit and firing.
Ever since Henshaw tore the All Blacks to shreds on that fateful day in Soldier Field in 2016 he’s been a marked man at Test level. From Cardiff to Carisbrook, Henshaw is well known to rival centres.
There was fresh evidence throughout Ireland’s middling November campaign when Henshaw delivered some powerful performances. He is likely to return to frontline duty for Leinster against Munster at Thomond Park on Friday.
As ever, the presence of the 31-year-old in midfield will focus Munster minds. Power, pace, supreme in the air and an underrated passing game, Henshaw has it all.
He was high up on the IRFU’s hitlist when it came to the recent contract negotiations. Andy Farrell will be sleeping a lot easier over the Festive break knowing that one of his premier midfielders is locked down for the 2027 World Cup, and beyond.
Henshaw will be 34 by the time Ireland board their longhaul flight to Sydney for the next global showpiece. He will be one of the experienced heads Down Under and, fitness permitting, he is likely to play a key role.
And it feels like the lure of another tilt at the big stage was a key bargaining chip when performance director
David Humphreys sat down with Henshaw to hammer out the terms of this latest deal.
There is no shortage of unfinished business for Henshaw when it comes to World Cups.
He was only a rookie at his maiden tournament in 2015, a makeshift centre who was still learning his trade at Connacht.
A hamstring injury hindered his tournament but he still managed to be Ireland’s best player during that mauling by the Pumas in a now infamous quarter-final defeat.
Four years later, Henshaw was in the form of his life and primed to make a huge impact in Japan. He pulled up with an injury at the first training session of the tournament. Again, Henshaw would make it back for another quarter-final meeting. But there was a similarly depressing outcome against the All Blacks.
It was deja vu in 2023 when a hamstring injury derailed another World Cup.
So, Henshaw will be hellbent on making an impression in Oz. Ireland have never made it to a semi-final, and their star centre has never got the opportunity to show the world what he can do on the biggest stage.
For now, he will be focused on righting a few wrongs in the Leinster jersey, too. Henshaw, like many of his team-mates spent a long summer hearing all about the province’s three successive seasons without silverware. Bilbao in 2018 feels like a long time ago on the Champions Cup front as well.
Henshaw was on the field that day but he has yet to experience European glory since.
He has played a key role in the club’s unbeaten start to the season on all fronts.
There is also the Six Nations title defence next year, and the chance to seal a hat-trick of championships. A feat which has never been achieved in the history of the tournament.
Landing the URC and Champions Cup should not be beyond this Leinster squad either.
Henshaw will also be short odds to make the cut for the British and Irish Lions squad next summer.
There weren’t many highlights to the last tour of South Africa in 2021, a facile series which played out in front of empty stands. But Henshaw was superb across the three-Test series.
He is certainly in the mix to wear the No12 jersey against the Wallabies next year.
Henshaw is only five appearances away from becoming a Leinster centurion, and he could hit the century mark for Ireland in the coming years.
There are plenty of other markers and trophies in sight in the years ahead, but the ultimate goal is 2027 and a shot at World Cup redemption. It clearly didn’t take long for Henshaw to sign on the dotted line. It’s been good business for all parties.