Gavin Henson responded to the challenge laid down by head coach Gareth Jenkins by declaring he will be better than ever by the time Wales open their World Cup campaign. The Ospreys centre is back in the Wales team after a year spent in the doldrums, battling a frustrating combination of injury, suspension and a chronic loss of confidence.
Henson started his first Wales game since the 2005 Grand Slam campaign in the 29-29 draw with Australia a fortnight ago and performed well. But he now faces huge competition for the inside-centre position following the emergence of James Hook on the international stage.
With Stephen Jones set to start at fly-half when he returns from injury, Hook and Henson are competing for the same No 12 jersey. Jenkins warned Henson this week that he must "add something more to his game" against Canada tonight in order to cement a place in the side to play New Zealand next weekend. There are those who fear Henson may never quite fulfil his potential for Wales - but he is determined to prove them wrong.
"They were difficult times last year. You do learn to deal with them and you have to come back stronger," he said. "All my highs in rugby have always been followed by a low. I am hoping the lows of last year will be followed by a high now and this will be a really good season leading into the World Cup.
"I had a long time out and thought I could just pick up from where I left off, but it wasn't like that. I didn't really enjoy my rugby last season. But the Australia game gave me confidence. It would have been nice to have played against the Pacific Islands, but this is a good squad and the coach wants to give everyone a chance."
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