The Sin Bin
Henson, Jordan and Mickey Rourke
ESPN Staff
December 14, 2012
London Welsh unveil new signing Gavin Henson, Old Deer Park, Richmond, England, July 10, 2012
Gavin Henson is back in the headlines and he has got a new girl on his arm © Getty Images
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Welcome to the latest edition of The Sin Bin - our regular feature offering you some of the quirkier stories to emanate from the game we love.

There's not a ruck we will not delve into or a hospital pass we will avoid in a bid to bring you some of the more bizarre, humorous and downright daft stories, videos, pictures and soundbites from around the rugby globe. Got anything you think warrants a mention? Let us know

The return of the fake-tanned one

Gavin Henson is out of action until Christmas with a back injury but he has seemingly wasted little time in working out how to spend his spare hours away from the rugby field. He has been snapped alongside 'celebrity' Katie Price with the pair enjoying the best that Soho has to offer. The Daily Mail claims that Henson and Price "drank for 10 hours"and that "the pair are both well known for their partying and they lived up to their reputations as they emerged from the Soho restaurant and bar at 11am". It remains to be seen what London Welsh coach Lyn Jones thinks of Henson's new friend...

The quickest man in rugby?

The rugby world has gone mad for the latest speedster to grace the Sevens circuit with hits for the video of the USA's Carlin Isles in action going way past the seven-figure mark after being online for just five days. He has only played the game for 12 weeks but Isles, who is one of the 40 quickest men in the USA, has taken to Sevens with ease.

Going for the posts

An article in the Hereford Times caught our eye this week which said that scientists have developed a new piece of technology that can finally end the debate over whether certain kicks have gone over the posts or not. The article claims that that research has shown that "roughly one legitimate goal-kick [is] being disallowed every four matches" but Goalscan, as the technology is named, can eradicate this. According to the article it says that "Goalscan is an invisible electronic curtain sending signals either side of the crossbar - from a scan area some 17 metres above the bar - that go on to a goal indicator".

It is great to see that while football has been barking on about the 'goal-line technology debate' for as long as we can remember, rugby is not hanging around and has hopefully found a suitable solution to a solvable problem.

LEGO Legends

Anyone wanting to relive England's thrilling victory over the All Blacks at Twickenham a few weeks ago, or any other action from the autumn internationals, are in for a treat. Canterbury have released a highlights video of the QBE internationals - as reprised by LEGO characters.

Getting their kit off for Wood

Gloucester's finest have agreed to pose for a series of 'artistic' photographs for Nick Wood's testimonial year calendar. The photographs on the Gloucester Citizen website show Freddie Burns, Tim Taylor, Charlie Sharples, James Simpson-Daniel, Henry Trinder and Jonny May de-clothed and Wood is hopeful that the calendars will go down well. "It's a little bit tongue-in-cheek and hopefully there to be appreciated," Wood told the newspaper. "I would like to think it's a good stocking filler for Christmas. Something for the ladies and maybe a bit easier on the eye."

'Building Winning Teams'

Former Great Britain rugby league coach Brian Noble - who has done a couple of coaching sessions at Wasps - has turned to a variety of successful figures to pen chapters for his new book which focuses on different leadership traits. The book, entitled 'Building Winning Teams' has called on Sir Ken Morrison and Wigan chairman Dave Whelan's expertise, but has also looked to sport with Sunderland boss Martin O'Neill, ex-England cricket captain Michael Vaughan, Linford Christie, and rugby's Jason Robinson, Shaun Edwards and Jonathan Davies all penning chapters. And Hollywood actor Mickey Rourke, who is set to play Gareth Thomas in a future film, has also penned a chapter.

"I met Mickey in Cardiff and London," Noble explained to the BBC. "He wanted to know about technical aspects of rugby, such as handling the ball in the correct manner, and I helped him to write a production script.

"He is a great fellow and great company. He has also been through a lot in his life, so I asked if he would write a chapter for my book about conflict and handling criticism... and he has had to handle a lot of criticism over the years. But people who have been through adversity have got character, and a story to tell.... it resonates with people."

Boris' unique welcome

With the draw for the 2015 World Cup having taken place nearly three years before the actual tournament, there had to be something special to make it a memorable event. Step forward Mayor of London Boris Johnson. In his own unique fashion, the Mayor welcomed the rugby world to England and made mention that rugby provided an alternative to "the spherical fetishists of Association football".

Stand up for Sharpe

Western Force supporters have started an online petition to get the Super Rugby franchise to name their new stand under construction at the NIB stadium in Perth after Nathan Sharpe in recognition of his services to the Force and the Wallabies. Sharpe made his 116th and final appearance for the Wallabies against Wales at the Millennium Stadium this month.

"Nathan embodies all that is good about the game. It would pay homage to him as well as honour the game and the stadium," the appeal reads. "We at The Whole Force are petitioning and collecting signatures for Nathan to receive this honour."

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