Henson Banned and Fined By Ospreys After Missing Training

Gavin Henson is in danger of missing Wales' autumn Tests after he was yesterday suspended for two matches and fined an undisclosed sum by the Ospreys. The center had failed to turn up to training on Wednesday after an argument with the team's coaches, Sean Holley and Jonathan Humphreys.

Henson, who made his full comeback against Harlequins last Sunday, five months after surgery on his right ankle, will miss the first two rounds of the Heineken Cup, at Leicester tomorrow and at home to Perpignan next weekend. Wales, who play four Tests in November, were yesterday informed by the Ospreys of the decision to discipline Henson. He will train with the Ospreys tomorrow and may play in the Welsh Premiership for Swansea next Saturday. That will leave him short of top-class action before Wales' first autumn international, against South Africa at the Millennium Stadium on November 8.

He was called in by the Ospreys coaches after training on Tuesday and criticized for his display against Quins at the Liberty Stadium in the EDF Energy Cup, a match the Ospreys needed a stoppage-time try to win despite fielding a virtually full side against opponents stuffed with reserves. He had started brightly but faded as a long-standing achilles problem flared up, and the coaches could not easily replace him because his fellow center Sonny Parker had been injured in the first half.

Henson felt he was being unfairly singled out from what had been a poor team display, and words were exchanged. He failed to turn up for training the next day and, when he showed up on Thursday, he was summoned before the region's director of rugby, Andrew Hore, and told he was being suspended for a second match because he would not have been chosen to face Leicester anyway.

Henson, who was reported to be seeking a meeting with Warren Gatland, the Wales coach, said yesterday: "I fully accept the decision and entirely support the penalty imposed. I reacted poorly to feedback from the team management [on] our last home game and took unauthorized leave to consider the matters raised. Having signed up to the Ospreys code of conduct introduced earlier this year, I was part of a disciplinary decision. I look forward to getting back on the field with my team-mates."

The region issued a brief statement, as an appendix to the announcement of their squad to face Leicester: "Gavin Henson is excluded from the next two Ospreys fixtures as the result of a rugby-related internal disciplinary decision."

Gloucester yesterday announced that the back-row forward James Forrester, who scored 51 tries in 134 appearances for the club, has been forced to retire at the age of 27 because of a knee injury which caused him to miss the whole of the 2007-08 season. He broke down in a comeback match for the reserves against Sale last month.

Forrester, who made a famous England debut against the Barbarians in 2002 and went on to win two full caps in 2005, said: "It is not going to be and I have no option but to stop playing, the hardest decision any player has to make. I have had to have another operation and it is just not feasible to continue."

Munster start with win

Munster, the holders of the Heineken Cup, opened Pool One with a deeply unconvincing 19-17 win over a second-string Montauban side at Thomond Park last night. Barry Murphy scored the Irish side's try, Ronan O'Gara converting and kicking four penalties. Sylvain Jonnet scored Montauban's try and Petre Mitu kicked four penalties. Had the Romanian scrum-half kicked all his goals, the champions would - deservedly - have been beaten. In Pool Three Perpignan, who will be able to call on the New Zealand fly-half Dan Carter come the third round of matches, beat Treviso 27-16. Bristol lost 33-15 in Montpellier in Pool Two of the European Challenge Cup. Lee Robinson and Ian Grieve scored tries for Bristol and Lee Jarvis kicked five points. Montpellier's tries came from François Trinh-Duc, Pieter van Niekerk and Thierry Brana, Frederico Todeschini kicking 18 points. In Pool One, Connacht won 30-12 in Dax.