Welsh Rugby
Neil Jenkins would like to see Gavin Henson in a Wales jersey again soon but pointed out that the centre will find it hard to force his way back into the national team set-up if he joins Aviva Premiership outfit Saracens.
Henson is currently under contract to the Ospreys but has his heart set on a move to Vicarage Road in order to try to resurrect his career outside of his homeland and Sarries boss Brendan Venter is confident that a deal can be finalised in the coming days.
However, Wales assistant coach Neil Jenkins warned that if Henson does return to competitive rugby, he will struggle to break back into Warren Gatland's squad if he he is plying his trade in England, as London Wasps No.8 Andy Powell and Sale Sharks scrum-half Dwayne Peel have recently discovered.
"It is not easy when you are not playing in Wales," he said. "If he does sign for Saracens - and I haven't got a clue what he will do - I am sure he will be under a similar contract to all the other boys, so it won't be easy for him to turn up (with Wales)."
However, Jenkins insisted that he is hoping that Henson can make a successful return to the game after an 18-month spell on the sidelines.
"Gav is a fantastic player, and getting back involved in the game, good luck to him," he said. "We want our best players playing, and Gav is certainly one of those. If he does get back on the park, good on him, and hopefully we will see him soon at some point."
Meanwhile, Jenkins has backed Gatland's decision to name Matthew Rees as captain for next Saturday week's clash with Australia in light of the absence of regular skipper Ryan Jones.
"He has developed into an awesome player for Wales and the Lions," Jenkins said of the Scarlets hooker. "This is a fantastic achievement for him, and fully deserved."
As well as Jones, Wales have also lost Lee Byrne and Leigh Halfpenny to injury ahead of the start of their autumnal campaign. Jenkins freely admits that the absence of three key players is a massive blow given the quality of the opposition. Indeed, he was been particularly impressed with the way in which the Wallabies have improved over the past year.
"It is obviously disappointing for Lee and Leigh," added Jenkins. "You want your players fit and able to play. Both of them have had pretty good seasons so far.
"The Wallabies have pretty much changed their game to how they played against us a year ago. Whereas they were averaging about 30-odd kicks a game, they've pretty much cut that in half under the new laws and are keeping a lot more ball in hand.
"I am not saying they can't kick - Quade Cooper and Matt Giteau are two of the best kickers out of hand, and they can cause teams all sorts or problems. But the way they are going at the moment, they are playing a lot more ball in hand, so it will be interesting to see how we go against that a week on Saturday."
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