There’s one man that Ireland lock Iain Henderson is dreading coming up against in the Autumn Nations Cup curtain raiser against Wales on Friday, and that man is Alun Wyn Jones.
The two sides will go head to head in Dublin as the new competition gets underway, with both sides looking to bounce back from disappointing ends to the Six Nations.
Jones is set to make his 150th Test appearance at the Aviva Stadium, marking the latest milestone in a glittering career for the 35-year-old lock.
And Henderson, who roomed with the Wales skipper on the 2017 British and Irish Lions tour, knows as much as anyone how infuriating the Ospreys man can be to play against.
“He’s a great lad. He was insightful in almost anything you’d chat to him about,” the Ulster captain said.
“I really don’t like playing against him – it’s probably one of his biggest talents.
“When players don’t like playing against other players, it’s almost a compliment to the type of player they are.
“He obviously adds a fair bit of ‘oomph’ if you like to their pack. He’s an absolute pest when it comes to the breakdown and maul time.”
Henderson is in line for a return to the Ireland team at the Aviva Stadium, having missed the last two Six Nations matches against Italy and France due to suspension.
And if selected in Andy Farrell’s starting XV on Wednesday, he will be part of a blood-thirsty bunch looking for redemption after going down 35-27 to France a fortnight ago, and missing out on Championship glory.
In a group consisting of England and Georgia, as well as Friday’s opponents, it is crucial that the Men in Green get their Autumn Nations Cup campaign off to a flying start, and will be looking to take the game to Wayne Pivac’s side from the off in Dublin.
Wales will be looking to rebound from a tough Six Nations campaign and Henderson know that with their talismanic leader still in the team, they will still pose a tough, physical challenge in Friday’s showdown.
“In terms of the charisma that he brings to the team, obviously he’s captained them a lot and has a lot of leadership qualities that you see coming out,” he said.
“Those are the things that he brings and trying to negate that is difficult because he is a relatively resilient character who will continue to bring that irrespective of how the game’s going for them.”
