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Henson eyes world domination

Gavin Henson has been training twice a week with Saracens since putting pen to paper on his return to top-flight rugby © Getty Images

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Saracens recruit Gavin Henson is relishing his return to rugby's front line and has set his sights on becoming the best player in the world.

The 28-year-old Wales international ended 18 months in the rugby wilderness last month by signing for Aviva Premiership side Saracens after being granted an early release from his contract with Magners League outfit the Ospreys. However, the former British & Irish Lions centre has yet to make an appearance for his new employers because of his outstanding commitment to the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing TV show.

But Henson, who chose to go on unpaid leave from Ospreys following a series of injury setbacks, has rediscovered his hunger for the game and is looking forward to ditching his TV persona and bolstering Saracens' push for domestic honours.

"This reality lifestyle doesn't have any substance," he told the Daily Telegraph. "This is a new chapter. I look back on my rugby career and it's not been good enough really. I want to play for another eight, nine, 10 years. I want to show people that I'm for real. I aim to be the best player in the world. I've just got to get out there and do it."

Henson was a key player in Wales' Six Nations Grand Slam success in 2005 and 2008 but injuries and personal issues robbed him of the spark that had made him one of the most eye-catching talents in the game. "I lost my drive and sense of enjoyment," Henson said. "I saw all these young kids coming through with great hunger and I realised I didn't have that any more. I needed time out. You can't pretend in rugby. I got stick for it but I've no regrets. All the aches and pains are gone and I'm mentally refreshed. The body's sorted, so too the head."

Henson is not expected to make his Premiership debut until Saracens' clash with Quins at Twickenham on Boxing Day but he is already eyeing a return to the international stage. "If I'm playing half-decent for Saracens, then it would be hard for them [Wales] not to pick me," he said. "It's always a risk to give away your shirt. But no one has made that No12 shirt their own. I'd like to think they've missed me.

"My record when I've started for Wales is good. That's a fact. You can't argue with that. Of course, I've got to prove that the game hasn't left me behind but I'm confident in my ability to do it at the highest level. Of course I am.

"I felt I needed to get out of Wales," Henson, who has signed with Saracens through to the end of the season, said. "I might be another couple of years in London. But Wales is my home and I'll look to go back. People say I turned my back on Wales but I didn't. I needed to sort myself out. The reason I've got back into rugby is to play for my country. That's the biggest drive."

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