The truth about the brutal and 'horrendous' ending to Graham Henry's Wales reign

He had been hailed as the Great Redeemer and delivered some of Wales’ most memorable triumphs.

But, 20 years ago this week, it all came to an abrupt end for Graham Henry after a disastrous day in Dublin.

The Kiwi coach had achieved a great deal during his three and a half years at the helm.

He had guided Wales to a record-equalling 11-match winning run in 1999, including famous victories over England, South Africa and France.

The pride of the nation had been restored.

But taking charge of the 2001 Lions tour of Australia, with no sabbatical from the Wales job, took its toll on him.

There was public questioning of his methods by some players, while the Test series ended in a heart-breaking 2-1 defeat.

Then came an unhappy autumn campaign with Wales thumped 36-6 at home by Ireland in the rearranged Foot and Mouth game, with further losses to Argentina and Australia following in Cardiff.

So, come the opening game of the 2002 Six Nations, against the Irish at Lansdowne Road, the pressure was on, amid mounting criticism.

What followed was a calamitous 54-10 defeat, with Wales leaking six tries in a hugely one-sided affair.

Three days later, Henry was gone, with the WRU issuing a statement late at night to say it had been “agreed by both parties” that he would leave his post. Assistant Steve Hansen was the man to take over.

Henry has spoken about the episode at various points over the years, saying the job had just about killed him by the finish and how he had to “run away and recover”.

So what was it like for those involved in the Wales set-up at the time?

Lineout ace Chris Wyatt had been a mainstay of Henry’s team and the Kiwi’s departure hit him hard.

“I felt a massive sense of sadness when he left,” said the former