Rugby Union: Henson Wounds Reopen in Wales Squad

Evidence of disquiet in the Wales squad over the return of Gavin Henson emerged yesterday when the team threatened to boycott a media conference because of an article in the match program for last Saturday’s Six Nations opener against England that praised the centre.

The Wales squad refused to conduct interviews yesterday because of the presence of the journalist who had written the program piece commending Henson, who is suspended for the opening two rounds of the championship, for his outspoken views.

After an hour-long stand-off, the BBC Wales presenter Graham Thomas, who ghosted Henson’s autobiography, parts of which upset the squad when it was published last October, agreed to leave the building at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff. When he had departed, the players filed in for interview, but the storm raises the question whether Henson, who will be available for selection by Wales next week after serving a 51-day ban for elbowing, will be welcomed back into the fold.

The dispute started when the Wales captain Gareth Thomas walked into the room where the announcement of the team to face Scotland in Cardiff on Sunday was being held. He was due to share the top table with his coach, Mike Ruddock, but left when he noticed that Graham Thomas was present.

Ruddock held the media conference on his own while his captain was informing the players, who were eating lunch, that Graham Thomas had turned up, the day after the Wales manager Alan Phillips thought he had reached an agreement with BBC Wales that the journalist would stay away. Objections were also raised to an interview conducted with Stephen Jones by the BBC the day after the England match.

Thomas had written: "Honest opinion should be encouraged. Most players will continue to hide behind the bland sound-bite, the opinionless opinion. If there are a few who dare to be different, then supporters, sponsors and especially the media, should all be extremely grateful. It is difficult to see why Henson, a professional player in his early 20s who comes from a working class background, should feel constrained by a set of principles that have a distinct whiff of class, privilege and public schools."

It is understood that a member of the Wales management told the players to call off their protest and make themselves available for interview, but his order was ignored. Only the wing Mark Jones turned up, not having been in the restaurant when the boycott was agreed.

The demonstration raises problems for Wales with Henson available for selection for the final three championship matches. Henson held a clear-the-air meeting with the squad last November following the serialization and publication of his autobiography and had to vigorously defend himself. There were some who privately wondered whether he could ever become part of the set-up again given the confidences they felt he had betrayed, but even in his absence - he was in South Africa last weekend - controversy rages.