The former Wales star has opened up on his playing career and life after hanging up the boots on BBC show Scrum V: Top 5
Gavin Henson has revealed how discovering he is on the autism spectrum after his professional career helped explain why he often felt like he “didn’t quite fit into the norm” during his time at the top of Welsh rugby.
The former Wales star opened up during an appearance on Scrum V: Top Five, which aired on Monday night. Hosted by comedian and actor Mike Bubbins, the BBC Wales programme sees guests select a top five on a topic of their choice. Henson opted to name the five players he most admired – with fellow Pencoed product Scott Gibbs taking the No.1 spot.
But alongside the rugby nostalgia, Henson offered a candid reflection on his own personality and how he navigated the intense spotlight that followed him throughout his career.
Ensure our latest sport headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings
Henson, who won 33 caps for Wales and was one of the most recognisable figures in British sport during his pomp, spoke about the contrast between the public persona of “Super Gav” and his day-to-day self.
Asked what it was like seeing a 100ft poster of himself draped over the Principality Stadium, he said: “It’s another personality of mine. I suppose the term ‘Super Gav’.
“I’m not that person day to day. It’s a difficult environment for me, because I didn’t quite fit into the norm.
“I have said [previously] that I am on the [autism] spectrum – and stuff like that was never talked about or knew about. I think maybe people would have understood me a bit better today.”
Get the latest Wales Rugby merch at Fanatics
The Six Nations is running from February 5 to March 14 and Wales Rugby fans can get the latest jerseys, hoodies and more at Fanatics.
Henson has touched on the subject before, revealing last year that he believes he is on the autism spectrum. Speaking on The Big Jim Show podcast, he admitted it had affected his relationships within the game.
“They’re always wanting something from me,” he said of former team-mates. “So it’s not really like a friendship, I suppose, with some of the ex-rugby boys. I’m a poor friend.
“I am on the autism spectrum, so that’s my excuse. It’s just the way I am; it’s nothing personal. I can be a little bit odd.
“It’s not like I’ve gone out and made a new friend. I struggle with socialising that way unless I’ve had a drink.”
He added that coaches and players may, with hindsight, better understand some of his behaviour.
“For coaches and players throughout the years, it probably makes sense to them,” he said. “I think people found it hard to understand me. I’m a little bit different.
“And they always liked to try and mould you into the group, and I learned how to do that and fake it, to be a part of the team and fit in so that I’d play on the weekend.”
Ensure our latest sport headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings
On Scrum V, Henson also reflected on how that mindset may have influenced his meticulous approach to rugby.
Known for his obsessive preparation and technical precision at fly-half and inside centre, he suggested that his tendency to break everything down into fine detail was part of who he is.
“Yeah,” he said when asked if it helped his game. “Every part of my game I would break it down and just try and perfect every part of it.
“Always searching for that perfect game – still searching for it now, playing for Pencoed.”
Now 43, Henson continues to turn out for his hometown club and, by his own admission, still prepares as if he were lining up at the Principality Stadium.
“Yeah, my legs are still shaved from the game at the weekend,” he laughed when Bubbins asked if he still shaves his legs.
“I have to do it, to look the part!”
His admiration for Scott Gibbs, another Pencoed great, was clear throughout the programme. Gibbs, a Wales and British & Irish Lions legend, topped Henson’s list.
“We are from the same club, Pencoed. He played for Wales and the British and Irish Lions and he was a legend of the club,” Henson said.
“I remember in the early hours of the morning, watching him play for the Lions at Pencoed. Then he came back from a Lions tour and the streets were littered to welcome Scott Gibbs home! He was a superstar.
“Then I ended up playing with him at Swansea and sharing car lifts with him at 18 years of age. That was mad.”
He described Gibbs as “an unbelievable build” and “rock solid”, recalling how the centre would demand the ball regardless of the situation.
“I was playing No.10, so I was calling plays, and he would just shout ‘Give me the ball!’ even if we had a four-man overlap,” he recalls of his time playing alongside Gibbs.
“Then he’s through, knocking about three or four players out of the way.”
Gibbs’ famous try at Wembley in 1999 to beat England remains Henson’s favourite Wales score.
“That’s my favourite try for Wales. He is a different breed.”
Henson’s own career spanned nearly two decades, taking in spells with Llanelli, Swansea, the Ospreys, Saracens, Toulon, Cardiff Blues, London Welsh, Bath, Bristol and the Dragons, alongside Grand Slam triumphs with Wales in 2005 and 2008.
JOIN OUR WALES RUGBY FACEBOOK PAGE! Latest news, analysis and much more