Henson left 'suicidal' by débâcle in Dublin

Gavin Henson has been responsible for his fair share of genuine calamities in recent months, not all of them to do with his fashion sense. It is, therefore, surprising that a few dodgy options during Wales' entirely predictable Six Nations defeat in Dublin at the weekend should have left him feeling "suicidal". Serious errors of judgement - over-the-top book, long suspension, daft haircut - fail to faze him; a couple of loose touch-kicks leave him craving the attention of the Samaritans.

"I was down straight after the game, even more so this morning," he said yesterday, reflecting on a personal performance that gave him no pleasure. "I feel pretty depressed, suicidal. That's a powerful word, but if you play sport and you have a bad game you do feel pretty low. Your confidence takes a knock and you question why you do it. The last thing I want to do at the moment is play rugby. I feel like walking away from it."

Henson, back in national colours for the first time since last season's Grand Slam triumph, was not helped by the fact that the man he came off the bench to replace, the outside-half Stephen Jones, had been playing a blinder. "We were in the lead when Stephen was injured," he continued. "If he'd had stayed on, we would probably have won. Outside-half is a big role. Stephen makes a good job of it and we missed him when he went. I didn't make the right plays or the right calls; I was always in two minds. It has been a while since I last played No 10, but you can have any number of excuses. When all is said and done, I didn't perform."

The celebrity centre's half-back partner at Lansdowne Road, Dwayne Peel, is still waiting to discover whether he will be permitted to play for Llanelli Scarlets in this weekend's Powergen Cup semi-final with Bath at the Millennium Stadium. Wisely, the Welsh Rugby Union has agreed to release the vast bulk of the Scarlets' Test contingent - had they not done so, they would have been roundly accused of accepting money from sponsors and broadcasters, as well as the paying public, under false pretences - but are so desperate to protect Peel, their prize asset of the moment, that they remain reluctant to allow him to risk injury ahead of the Six Nations meeting with Italy on Saturday week.

The Ireland prop John Hayes spent Sunday night in a hospital with a viral infection after playing in the win over Wales. Hayes should be available to face Scotland at Lansdowne Road on 11 March, Ireland coach Eddie O'Sullivan said.

Meanwhile, organisers of the Heineken Cup have confirmed that next month's quarter-final between Biarritz and Sale will be played across the Spanish border in San Sebastian. The Estadio Anoeta venue has a capacity of 32,000, compared to the 7,700 limit at the French club's Parc des Sports Aguilera.