Prince Or Jester? - Gavin Henson Documentary 

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Gavin Henson had everything. Literally. He should have been the best 12, ever.

Brilliant video. Thank you. Henson was one of my favourite players when I was a young player and really into rugby. He usually looked a class above his team mates. He was definitely good for the sport, and as i have got older i appreciate sport for its moments. He certainly gave us some of those.

As an Irishman, i'm still relieved hd didn't step up to kick that final penalty from halfway for Wales. He would have snapped it through ghe uprights where Jones after 80 mins was always likely to come up short. 🙏🏻 Henson was a phenomenal kicker, made it look easy.

I remember as a welshman we used to call gav 'the sun' because he was big, orange & didn't shine enough! He was undoubtedly one of the most talented players of his generation but as this video perfectly covers never fulfilled his potential. Whether that was because of his own self destructive episodes or that he never found that perfect coach that made him feel wanted which i think is what he really needed. Great video WSP, you have yourself a new subscriber sir.

Great Video. Gavin Henson was an amazing talent . I think if he Gavin would of had a mentor from the beginning, it would be a different story.

thoroughly enjoyed your video! good work brought back lots of memories!!!!!!

Excellent video ..lots of clips ..Good one ... All the best Welsh in Costa Rica

Great doco. Really impressed, I loved it.

Lots of details I never knew ...seems well researched ...Well presented ...

Enjoyed this thank you.

Henson was one of the most naturally talented rugby players in world rugby at his best...he looked like he had do much time on the ball even st international level which is an indication of just how good he was.. sometimes personal lives clash with the very best players .. Eric cantona was a loose cannon genious on the pitch and it wasn't untill Ferguson man management skills brought the very best and consistency from Eric.. some players just need to be treated and managed differently especially when those players are naturally gifted.. I feel Henson was one of those players and I loved watching him play for Wales.. strong athletic in attack and could smash in defence with superb vision exceptional handling skills and a great boot... the total 15 man rugby wales played in hensons grand slam was brilliant to watch.. also that elbow in the face which knocked him out in the bar was a sly cheap shot .. also that elbow Henson threw against that Leicester player if you look closely the Leicester player was coming in to Henson with a swinging arm of his own which Henson saw and Henson beat him to it .. not condoning it but you have to look after yourself on the pitch and that Leicester player was definitely coming in to twat Henson but got floored instead

Loved watching Gavin play, what a talent, but it was clear he was carrying a fair amount of baggage somewhere which, ultimately, held him back from reaching his full potential. Great docu. Fairly done.

Loves what he sees when looking into any reflective surface. Probably rates himself an 11/10.

Thoroughly enjoyed this! Although we can all lament the waste of a huge talent I am grateful for his massive contribution to the 2005 slam and further international outings. His running looked effortless, and such vision and timing. If I saw him in public I would thank him for what he brought in 2005 and buy him a pint, though maybe that is not such a good idea!

Love the content dude. I was in my teens when Henson started coming tho to prominence, His game against England where he was the best player on the pitch was amazing. It's unfortunate that he couldn't live up to his potential. Would have been one amazing player if he did. I'm happy I got to watch his talent play for Wales tho , his fame / infamy definitely help bring though a generation of talented youngsters.

Christian boy! I absolutely LOVED this video. Hope to see more like it in the future! Henson had it all, man. Speed, power, size, awareness, skill. The one thing he lacked was probably the most important thing and that’s commitment to his job. But that was his prerogative. He wanted to be more than just a rugby player. He wanted to be a celebrity and just the way it is unfortunately. From things I’ve heard about people that know/have met him, he’s a very shy, humble and nice guy. Personally, I root for him. He basically single-handedly won us that England game which basically won us the 2005 grand slam and kick started a great period of Welsh rugby and I’ll always think of him in high regard. I would love to see a similar video about James Hook. Another player that didn’t live up to potential. But his problem wasn’t himself, it was that Gatland seemed to hate him.

For all round ability he's up there with the best. This vid made me wonder if Mike Ruddock had stayed on he might have had the consistency he did under Gatland. It's just too welsh to look for the negatives in his career, 2 Grand Slams, MAGNIFICO!

The best explanation that I have heard for Henson’s behaviour - and it fits with how he is in interviews - is that he was basically very shy. That’s also what I have heard Charlotte Church say about him.

Brilliant 33 minutes!!!

That was a good reflection on Gav's career, the last Irish game, he was "wolf whistled every time he touched the ball, he was very sombre on the plane coming home, I was sat next to him and Charlotte (across the aisle).

I forgot how good Henson was. Good video. Something we do not hear too often these days in the men's game: 07:38

I think the significance of the 2009 injury just before Lions selection was downplayed/overlooked in this video and played a huge factor in his decision to take the sabbatical.

Class film. From an Irish perspective he was an obvious world player talent, 'head & shoulders', so there is a question remaining which you cover well. Sheer talent gets you some way but certainly does not lead to success at all, you also need help, luck, security & even more effort/training. I'm one of those people who always rubbed my bosses up the wrong way, so I'm very sympathetic to GH. I think of Wales as home to flamboyant rugby talent & hope to see that return, may you produce another Henson.

Hi Christian, Gavin Henson a young player with too much on his plate and could not handle it, the pressure just got to him. but as a player he was good and that game, 2005 6N that kick in the Wales v England game as the late great Eddie Buttler said Shave away shave away Gavin. Gavin played some good games but the fame just got to him, all I can say what sort of player and person could he be, not the one we know. A talent lost , the only person he let down was him self and the thing is I liked him. Great video on Gavin Henson and I wish Gavin all the best. Catch you soon Take care

He was absolutely world class.

Great show. What a shame about the ups and downs. Thank you 👍

The Welsh Cipriani

Awesome video. It was exciting when henson played. I remember that kick against england and that year was amazing. Its a shame his off the field antics and lack of discipline at times got in the way.

That Tait tackle! 🔥 where do you want the shop dummy? Unfortunately for Henson like so many of our sports stars the press whip up the frenzy surrounding them n they become too big for their (golden....sorry) boots! Alas Henson fell into this pot n we never got to see his true potential! Could have become so much more than he did! If you saw his name on the teamsheet you knew we had a chance!

I really enjoyed this video and would like to see more documentary style content pls. The red card against Llanelli is on RU-vid, the video is titled ‘Gavin Henson being a naughty boy’, incidentally 👍

Advance payments for book deals can be pretty high ... so Gav probably saw the numbers and thought "why not!" But as you said, he clearly didn't consider the heat it would bring.

Crazy as it sounds I think his issues were summed up perfectly when he was on that Come Dancing show. His professional partner was struggling to get him to concentrate and put the hard practice in because he kept going to the mirror and admiring his six pack 🤣

What i wouldnt give for a Henson now! Was absolute class on his day, made everything look effortless! Unfortunately for the neutral he was easy to dislike!

Sort of unrelated but I was doing security at ITV on the Southbank in London, back in 2008 or so. Gavin and Charlotte came into reception carrying their kid. It was crowded and they were getting stared at a bit so they sort of drifted over to where I was standing beside the turnstiles. I could hear them chatting quietly, fussing over their kid, which must have been their daughter Ruby. It was a nice few minutes because I felt like they didn't want to be disturbed and standing beside me gave them a bit of space. I was tempted to chirp about him smashing Tait but I kept my peace and stood quietly by. A little while later I was trotting across our underground carpark and they were there loading their stuff into their car. Charlotte gave me the loveliest smile as I went past, just kind of acknowledging me as the guy from upstairs I guess, but it made my day. Also, for Welsh fans, Gareth Thomas popped into ITV a fair bit back then. He was in one day with his mate, who looked like a front rower, and the two of them had bags or backpacks they needed to stow. The girls at reception weren't allowed to store stuff but we had a broom closet behind the turnstiles and I told Gareth I could put their bags in there. Predictably enough they were both great guys, friendly and down to earth. And lastly, talking sport, Freddie Flintoff came in one day, also around 2008, with this beautiful but rather sullen and headstrong looking woman who must have been his wife. I don't know if he was having a bad day but he walked around reception like an absolute dickhead, sneering down at everyone there. It wasn't like he was being bothered, the people in there were just minding their own business, but he left the room in no doubt he didn't think much of any of us.

Rumour has it, that he would only play when he felt close to 100%, and that built up resentment amongst his teammates, as he could not be relied upon.

Henson should have been one of the greats. Brilliant player that sadly didnt fully fulfil his potential. People saying he was overrated dont have a clue. This is from an Englishman too

Saw him play for the Dragons against the Blues in 2017 I think it was, easily the best Dragons player at the match.

Might have only been for a short time but no doubt Henson was world class 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

I think he needed guidance in his private life and attitude to fulfil his potential. If he received this, he should have listened. It’s a shame, as his potential was massive, when he played well he was just untouchable 🙏

RE the Bath incident with Carl Fearns - i might be misquoting but I remember David Flatman talking on his podcast about it (he'd recently retired and i think was still working at the club in some form) and apparently after the fight the management gathered all the players and said "if you lot want him out then he's gone" and the squad unanimously said they loved him and wanted him to stay. I think they'd heard about Gav turning into a monster when drunk and plied him with booze to see what would happen and we all saw the result... It does all point to an interesting character, not black and white and certainly not all bad. Just a complicated guy in an era before rugby clubs knew how to handle complicated or difficult people (other than knocking them out or sacking them anyway)

Cracking punch by Fearns

Great video - with the incident on the plane, Gavin got drunk and was throwing ice cubes around the cabin (allegedly).

Great vid. He had a drink problem. His problem wasn’t drinking too much it was that he couldn’t take his drink

A proper tidy player!

I agree with his comment about Odriscel being dirty and banter on the pitch ! It always seem to be overlooked as it is with Farrel ! Given their talent should not be the deciding factor in action taken against foul play ! No doubt in my mind!

The guy was badly managed from start to finish, moved from pillar to post thats why he got fed up and lost momentum, exactly the same thing happened to James hook 🤷🏼‍♂️

Thanks for putting this together. Undoubtedly a rare but misguided talent. But aren't so may of our sporting heroes treading the thin line between fame and notiriety? And isn't that part of what makes them exceptional and memorable? But alas, sport is a short lived profession and takes few prisoners. The descent is invariably more rapid than the ascent and leaves an individual out in the wilderness. Imagine the impact he could have had as a backs coach for Wales or the Lions. It would have been priceless and influenced a whole new generation of ball carriers.

Gr8 doc. You dont need to say quote - end quote. We arent american, we can infer the end of the quote from context.

Charlotte church was fuckin nuts ....Should have avoided her 😮

Seemed to bugger things up off field and was often out with injury’s.

talanted player , but didn't have the application, common sense or the will power, i hope he fulfills his life

Needed a Gats to keep him developing. Reminds me of Liam Williams in that way. Gigantic potential, unharnessed. Ignore all the media stuff, that's just the pointless attention that comes with being popular. Andy Powell drove down a motorway in a golf cart and it barely broke the news.

Prince

I was at that derby match. It was hilarious. Dean Thomas got a second yellow but the ref had forgotten. He was reminded by the crowd…

Wales could do with a character like Gavin nowadays

Destroyed by media coverage as he was a Wales talisman that could lift any side. Much like they're doing with Reece Zamit. He's been removed from Welsh rugby that's all that matters but the media, will still keep picking on him..

I'd tolerate all of the dramas, sabbaticals and antics for 33 games of Gavin Henson in a red shirt, than 103 of that troglodyte Stephen Jones, Nick Tompkins, Jamie can't pass off his left Roberts, Leigh the golden retriever Halfpenny et al. "People from Llanelli are weird" as a quote is up there for truth and wisdom with some of Shakespeare's best.

The old sun lamp melted his brain did not need the suntan Though he was god turned out to be dog Lack of humility is a hard master

What with the mix of him and Charlotte, they are obviously an interesting combination between them. Such a pity with so much talent and too much press adulation in their early development. Genius is very difficult to manage at any age. 2 such young talents together would have been impossible to develop to its best degree. Such a pity. I would dare to suggest that he could possibly do with some social care from a close friend who can genuinely show him the love that he needs, just like anyone. Obviously not an easy character to love, but he obviously needs some mature care. A poor lost soul who has so much internal conflict inside.

Lions tour didn't mix with the rest of the squad before and during the tour. Honestly thought he was a certainty for the tests, At know time was he a test player, Believed in his own publicity.

Carl Fearns went further up in my estimation

To be honest he earnt his crust at Bristol!! PS must of broke my skull as a young un! cant grow hair on my head🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Could have been one of the Welsh greats, but pissed it up the wall. What a waste of money, though, Iestyn Harris ! Shane Williams wasn’t picked for Lions in the first test against NZ, and he wasn’t picked for the mid-week team either. He was totally ignored by Woodward.

he just had abs. That was it. Rugby players always get into fights and get spanked. Its quite funny. Im a rugby fan but they lose in the ring vs league players also lol. Too much drinking not enough peds

Anybody thinking this sounds a little like what Zammit is doing now? World cup and Lions Tour now gone to the NFL and keeps talking badly about rugby etc. Several high profile girlfriends. Minus the book basically.

Oedd Hendo y "roller coaster" just like Rygbi Cymreig! Mwynheais i'n edrych yn ol i 'r gyfa Henson. Diolch yn fawr

best player of his generation - and badly managed. What happened to him was what Barry John ran away from

Wonderful player but Graham Henry undermined him at a crucial stage in his career

clive Woodward was a fucking disaster as a lions coach. He would have picked a aqaud of emglish players if he could.

If he was English these videos just wouldn't exist, we like to romanticise Henson to much here. He was mid

He was shite! utter overrated!