Henshaw ready to put 'rocky' start to season behind him

Robbie Henshaw is ready to kick on after what he admits has been a "rocky" start to the season.

The Leinster centre started all the three Lions Test matches last summer but his reintegration back into league and European rugby was hampered by a foot injury.

He missed out on Ireland first two games of the November series, including the win over New Zealand, before starting the last match against Argentina.

The Athlone man played for Leinster against Bath in the Champions Cup at the end of January before an abductor issue forced him to miss the opening Guinness Six Nations win over Wales.

Henshaw won his 54th cap off the bench against France last Saturday.

"It's been a bit of a rocky one for me this year," said the 28-year-old.

"I feel fresh, to be honest, so I'm ready to go.

"I've been training away the last couple of weeks and I'm ready to step forward now.

We need your consent to load this comcast-player contentWe use comcast-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences

"Obviously, the stop-start season for me hasn't been ideal, but I'm hoping for a stronger finish to the second half of the season.

"The body feels good, mentally I feel good, I feel sharp, so it's exciting."

When fit, Henshaw is usually a starter for Andy Farrell's side, with just five of his caps coming as a replacement.

Asked about any conversation with the head coach about being left off the starting XV, he said: "We spoke briefly and it was just to make sure I was ready to go, add value wherever you can, don't try and stand out and do it all yourself.

"It was more to bring energy once you come into the game towards the end