This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2007)

The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article and discuss the issue on the talk page. (December 2010)

Seaman (matelot) of the French frigate Jean Bart

Seaman is one of the lowest ranks in a navy. In the Commonwealth it is the lowest rank in the navy, followed by able seaman and leading seaman, and followed by the petty officer ranks.

In the United States, it means the lowest three enlisted rates of the U.S. Navy, followed by the higher petty officer ranks. The equivalent of the seaman, in French-speaking countries, is the matelot.^[1]

The term "seaman" is also a general-purpose for a man or a woman who works anywhere on board a modern ship, including in the engine spaces, which is the very opposite of sailing. Furthermore, "seaman" is a short form for the status of an "able-bodied seaman", either in the navies or in the merchant marines. An able-bodied seaman is one who is fully trained and qualified to work on the decks and superstructure of modern ships, even during foul weather,^[2] whereas less-qualified sailors are restricted to remaining within the ship during times of foul weather — lest they be swept overboard by the stormy seas or by the high winds.

Canada[link]

There are 4 grades of seaman/matelot in the Royal Canadian Navy:

The rank of master seaman is unique because it was created only for the Canadian Navy. It does not follow the British tradition of other Canadian ranks. It corresponds to the rank of master corporal/caporal-chef.

France[link]

Matelot 2e classe (seaman 2nd class), or apprentice seaman, and matelot breveté (able seaman) are designations of the French Navy. Matelots are colloquially known as "mousses".

United Kingdom[link]

In the Royal Navy the rate is split into two divisions: AB1 and AB2. The AB2 rating is used for those who have not yet completed their professional taskbooks. The rate of ordinary seaman has been discontinued.

United States[link]

Seaman is the third enlisted rank from the bottom in the U.S Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps, and other navies and coast guards. For the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard the rank and pay just above that of a seaman apprentice and below those of a petty officer third class. This naval rank was formerly called "seaman first class".

The actual title for an E-3 in the U.S. Navy varies based on the subset of the Navy to which the sailor, seaman, submariner, aviator, hospitalman, nurse, etc., has been assigned. Likewise, the color of his/her group rate mark also depends on his section of the navy.

• Those in the general deck and administrative community are "seamen". They wear white stripes on their navy blue uniforms, and navy blue (black) stripes on their white uniforms.
• Hospital corpsmen are now called "hospitalmen." They possess the only rating in this area of duty. They wear white stripes on their navy blue uniforms, and navy blue stripes on their white uniforms.
• Those in the ship's engineering and hull maintenance area are called "firemen", and they wear red stripes on both their navy blue and white uniforms.
• Those in the aviation area of the Navy are called "airmen", and they wear green stripes on both their navy blue and white uniforms.
• Seabees are called "constructionmen", and they wear light blue stripes on both their navy blue and white uniforms.

No such stripes are authorized to be worn on the working uniforms - NWUs (navy working uniform), coveralls, utility wear, flight suits, hospital and clinic garb, diving suits, etc. However, sailors with the rank of E-3 are permitted to wear silver-anodized collar devices on their navy service uniforms.

In October 2005, the dental technician rating was merged into the hospital corpsman rating, eliminating the "dentalman" title. Those who once held the rank of "dentalman" have instead become "hospitalmen".

Sailors who have completed the requirements to be assigned a rating and have been accepted by the Bureau of Naval Personnel as holding that rating (a process called "striking") are called "designated strikers", and are called by their full rate and rating in formal communications (i.e., machinist's mate fireman, as opposed to simply fireman), though the rating is often left off in informal communications. Those who have not officially been assigned to a rating are officially referred to as "undesignated" or "non-rates." In order to advance to the rate of petty officer third class, a seaman would have to submit a request every 6 months. However, advancement is not guaranteed because of the vast amounts of seamen competing for a promotion.

As with the Navy, the actual title for a E-3 in the U.S. Coast Guard varies based on their community. However, the smaller size of the Coast Guard limits the E-3s to only three options: seaman (white stripes), fireman (red stripes), and airman (green stripes). The Coast Guard does not possess its own medical corps, dental corps, pharmacy corps, or legal corps, but rather, it either draws the necessary services and experts from the U.S. Navy, Air Force, or Army, or it contracts for services by civilians. Likewise, the U.S. Marine Corps does not possess its own trained experts in these areas, but rather, it generally uses the corps of experts from the U.S. Navy, or else from the other two American Armed Forces (whichever one is available in the region) that have own corps of experts: e.g. medical, dental, legal, or nursing.

See also[link]

• United States Navy enlisted rates
• Comparative military ranks
• United States Coast Guard officer rank insignia
• United States Coast Guard enlisted rate insignia
• List of United States Coast Guard ratings
• Seaman (Admiralty Law)

References[link]

1. ^ http://www.usamilitarybenefits.com/navy-enlisted-military-ranks.html
2. ^ http://mitags-pmi.org/courses/Able_Bodied_Seaman

David Andrew Seaman MBE (born 19 September 1963 in Rotherham, South Yorkshire) is an English former football goalkeeper who played for several clubs, most notably Arsenal. He retired from the game on 13 January 2004, following a recurring shoulder injury. He was awarded the MBE in 1997 for services to the sport.

The peak of his career was during his period as Arsenal and England goalkeeper in the 1990s and early 2000s; during his time at Arsenal he won many medals including three league championships (1991, 1998, 2002), four FA Cups (1993, 1998, 2002, 2003), the League Cup in 1993 and the European Cup Winners Cup in 1994. During this time he also played in the 1998 and 2002 World Cups, and Euro 96 and Euro 2000, and is England's second-most capped goalkeeper with 75 caps, after Peter Shilton.^[1]

Seaman's career highs came in his successful performance in UEFA Euro 96 and in Arsenal's UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, Premier League and FA Cup (including a superb save from Paul Peschisolido for Sheffield United in the FA Cup 2002–03) campaigns in the mid-90s and early-2000s. Notable lows came with two costly errors, both from long-range efforts — conceding a last-minute goal in the 1995 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final to Nayim and conceding to a Ronaldinho free-kick in the 2002 FIFA World Cup quarter-final.^{[2][3][4][5][6]}

Seaman is left-handed,^[7] but throws the football with his right arm^[8] and kicks with his right foot. He also played in the Premier League for Manchester City, as well as appearances in the Football League for Peterborough United, Birmingham City and Queens Park Rangers.

Club career[link]

Early career[link]

Seaman was brought up in Rotherham where he attended Kimberworth Comprehensive School.^[9] He began his career at Leeds United, the club he supported as a boy. However (much to his disappointment), he was not wanted by then-manager Eddie Gray, who had been his favourite player. Seaman went to Division 4 club Peterborough United for a £4,000 fee in August 1982, where he began to make a name for himself.

Just over two years later, in October 1984, Second Division Birmingham City paid £100,000 for Seaman's services. They ended up winning promotion at the end of that season, but were relegated again at the end of the following season. Seaman was not to follow them back to Division Two, however.

In August 1986, Seaman moved to Queens Park Rangers for £225,000. Playing in a higher profile club on a plastic pitch, he earned his first England cap, which came under Bobby Robson in a friendly against Saudi Arabia in November 1988. Whilst at Q.P.R., Seaman was coached by Arsenal double-winner (of 1971) Bob Wilson, who was to work with him for more than a decade.

Arsenal[link]

In 1990, long before the current transfer window system had come to English football, there was still a transfer deadline a few weeks before the end of the season. Arsenal, who had won the league in 1989, wanted to sign Seaman, but the deal involved Arsenal's keeper John Lukic heading the opposite way on loan. Lukic did not want to do this, and the deal broke down and remained unresolved when the deadline passed. As soon as the season ended and clubs were allowed to buy players again, Arsenal manager George Graham came back for Seaman, with £1.3 million (at the time a British record for a goalkeeper)^[10] being the agreed fee. Lukic, who was highly popular amongst Arsenal fans, left to rejoin Leeds.

Seaman's time at Arsenal coincided with one of the most successful periods in the club's history. The 1990–91 season saw Seaman concede only 18 goals when playing in every match of the 38-game season as Arsenal regained the league title.

Arsenal won both the FA Cup and the League Cup in 1993 and supplemented this a year later with the European Cup Winners' Cup. Shortly before the European success, Terry Venables was appointed as England manager. Venables saw Seaman as his first-choice goalkeeper and Seaman would remain a permanent member of the England team until 2002.

In 1995, George Graham was sacked, and Arsenal came close to becoming the first club to retain the Cup Winners' Cup, with Seaman earning a reputation as a penalty-saving specialist after saving Attilio Lombardo's shot in Arsenal's semi-final shoot-out against U.C. Sampdoria. However, in the final Arsenal lost in extra time to Real Zaragoza, with a spectacular last-minute goal from Nayim from 45 yards out catching Seaman off his line, it was noted that there were only seconds left of extra time when Seaman conceded.

In August 1996, Arsène Wenger became the new manager of Arsenal. Wenger rated Seaman highly and in 1998, Seaman backstopped the team to the Premier League and FA Cup double. In 1998–99, Seaman played all 38 league matches, conceded only 17 league goals as Arsenal came agonisingly close to retaining the Premier League and lost in the FA Cup semi-finals to Manchester United. The following season Seaman managed to reach the 2000 UEFA Cup Final, which Arsenal drew 0–0 with Galatasaray, but lost on penalties.

In 2002, Seaman won the Premier League and the FA Cup again to complete his second career double, although Arsenal's other goalkeepers Stuart Taylor and Richard Wright also won championship medals, due mainly to Seaman's absence through injuries.

Despite his international career ending so flatly and accusations his mobility had faded with age, the 2002–03 season—Seaman's last at Arsenal—ended on a high note. In the FA Cup, he made a spectacular save against Sheffield United's Paul Peschisolido in the semi-finals, in what former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, a pundit for the BBC on the day, dubbed "the best save I've ever seen".^[11] Arsenal were defending a 1–0 lead, when with less than ten minutes to go, Peschisolido had a header towards an apparently open goal from six yards out with Seaman seemingly stranded at the near post. However, the goalkeeper leaped sideways and backwards, somehow managing to stretch his right arm behind him and scoop the ball back and away from both his goal and the opposing players ready to pounce on a rebound. The match was all the more remarkable in that it was Seaman's 1,000th professional career game. Seaman went on to captain the team during the finals in the absence of injured Patrick Vieira and keep another clean sheet at the Millennium Stadium as they defeated Southampton 1–0. His final act with Arsenal was to lift the FA Cup, which was his eighth major trophy with his team. Seaman played in goal for Arsenal more times than anyone else, and is second after Ray Parlour in the all-time Premiership appearances chart for Arsenal, with 325 to his name. In June 2008 he was voted seventh in the list of 50 Gunners' Greatest Players.^[12]

Manchester City[link]

Released by Arsenal, Seaman joined up with Kevin Keegan at Manchester City in the summer of 2003, but Seaman's career at the City of Manchester Stadium did not last long. Whilst out of action due to injury, Seaman announced his immediate retirement in January 2004 at the age of 40. His last act at City was to help Keegan select his successor in goal, David James — the man who had ousted him as England's first choice goalkeeper a little over a year earlier.

In November 2005, Paul Merson and Walsall approached Seaman, and later ex-ex-Wales goalkeeper Neville Southall and Chris Woods to perform in an FA Cup game at Merthyr Tydfil as their two first choice goalkeepers, Joe Murphy and Andy Oakes, were unavailable. However, Seaman was forced to turn this offer down, as it would have constituted a breach in the terms of his retirement insurance pay-out for his recurring shoulder injury.^[13]

International career[link]

Seaman made his England debut in 1988 and appeared for the side in fifteen consecutive years, a national record.

He earned his first England cap under Bobby Robson in a friendly against Saudi Arabia in November 1988. Robson selected him as England's third-choice goalkeeper behind Peter Shilton and Chris Woods at the 1990 FIFA World Cup, but after arriving in Italy he had to pull out of the squad due to injury and was replaced by Dave Beasant.

Seaman remained a member of the England squad under new manager Graham Taylor but only cemented his place as undisputed number one with the arrival of Terry Venables and played every minute of every match during Euro 96. Seaman saved two spot-kicks in the tournament; the first a penalty in normal play from Scotland's Gary McAllister in a group match, while England were 1–0 up (Paul Gascoigne scored soon after to make it 2–0). Then, after England's quarter-final against Spain ended scoreless, Seaman saved Miguel Angel Nadal's kick in the shootout to knock Spain out of the tournament. England eventually were eliminated in the semi-finals of the competition; Seaman was named alongside Golden Boot winner Alan Shearer and winger Steve McManaman in the UEFA "Team of the Tournament". Euro 96 sponsor Philips named him "Player of the Tournament".

Seaman remained first choice under the management of Glenn Hoddle for the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France. England went out on penalties, losing against Argentina. Kevin Keegan selected him for Euro 2000, where he started against both Portugal and Germany but sustained an injury in his warm-up exercises for the third game against Romania. Nigel Martyn stepped in, and Phil Neville's clumsy foul late in the game gave Romania a penalty which Martyn could not stop. England lost the match and went out in the first round.

Seaman was part of Sven-Göran Eriksson's 2002 FIFA World Cup squad, and played every game as England reached the quarter-finals, turning back a second half offensive to shut out arch-rivals Argentina 1–0 in the group stage after English captain David Beckham scored the penalty spot kick. However, in England's quarter-final against Brazil Seaman was caught off his line by Ronaldinho's long-range free kick, as England lost 2–1; he blamed himself for the error.^[14]

The result led to a debate about whether Seaman should remain England's number one.^[15] He remained England's first choice goalkeeper until a Euro 2004 qualifier in October 2002 against Macedonia. In this match, he let in a goal directly from a corner kick by Artim Sakiri in a 2–2 draw and brought further press criticism.^[16] This was Seaman's last appearance for the England national team, as Eriksson dropped him in favour of David James.

Career statistics[link]

Club[link]

International[link]

^[18][19]

Honours[link]

Team[link]

With Arsenal

First Division Championship/FA Premier League:

• Winner: 1990-91, 1997-98, 2001-02
• Runner-up: 1998-99, 1999-2000, 2000-01, 2002-03

FA Cup:

• Winner: 1993, 1998, 2002, 2003
• Runner-up: 2001

League Cup:

• Winner: 1992-93

FA Community Shield:

• Winner: 1991 (shared), 1998, 1999, 2002
• Runner-up: 1993

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup:

• Winner: 1994
• Runner-up: 1995

UEFA Cup

• Runner-up: 2000

UEFA Super Cup

• Runner-up: 1994

With England

FIFA World Cup

• Appearances: 1998, 2002
• Unused Squad member: 1990 (Withdrew injured)

UEFA European Championship

• Euro 96 Quarterfinal Winner
• Appearances: 1996, 2000

Tournoi de France

• Winner: 1997

Individual[link]

UEFA Euro 96 Team of the Tournament

PFA Team of the Year: 1997

Member in The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (1997)

Premier League 10 Seasons Awards (1992–2002):

• Domestic Team of the Decade
• Goalkeeper with most clean sheets (130)

Later career[link]

This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (September 2010)

Seaman began working on his coaching badge with a view to coaching goalkeepers but decided to pause after learning that he would first need a badge in outfield coaching in which he had no interest.^[20] His on-screen presence made him a popular choice for chat-shows and televised appearances during his sporting career, and he can occasionally be spotted on British television. Whilst still a player, he acted in a cameo role in a BBC film based around the events of England's successful Euro 96 tournament, starring Rachel Weisz and Neil Morrissey, entitled My Summer with Des. He also became the spokesman for Yorkshire Tea during the early 1990s. He briefly replaced Gary Lineker as team captain on the television quiz They Think It's All Over before producers decided to drop him in favour of former Arsenal team-mate Ian Wright.

In December 2004, following his retirement from professional football, he became one of the celebrities to take part in Strictly Ice Dancing, an ice dance version of Strictly Come Dancing, in which celebrities are paired with professional dancers. He joined the show at late notice, replacing Paul Gascoigne. With just eight days to prepare for the show, broadcast on BBC One on 26 December, Seaman and his professional partner Zoia Birmingham managed to win the competition. The other competitors spent a month in training for the show.

In late 2005 he had his trademark ponytail cut off on live television for charity, which ended negotiatory talks with such companies as L'Oreal who wanted to sponsor his hair as they had with David Ginola. He returned to the ice for another ice-dancing series, Dancing on Ice, broadcast on ITV. The series started on 14 January 2006, and Seaman ended in fourth place. He has also appeared on All Star Family Fortunes.

Seaman also hosts a "Safe Hands" charity golf event annually, and has released two football-themed DVDs entitled David Seaman's Goalkeeping Nightmares in 2003 and Jeepers Keepers in 2004.

Seaman has also played in all four Soccer Aid matches for England.^[21][22][23]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Photos and stats at sporting-heroes.net
• Statistics at soccerbase.com
• Profile at UpThePosh! The Peterborough United Database
• David Seaman at IMDb
• David Seaman in the Goalkeeping Museum

England Squad v t e England squad – UEFA Euro 1996 Third Place 1 Seaman 2 G. Neville 3 Pearce 4 Ince 5 Adams (c) 6 Southgate 7 Platt 8 Gascoigne 9 Shearer 10 Sheringham 11 Anderton 12 Howey 13 Flowers 14 Barmby 15 Redknapp 16 Campbell 17 McManaman 18 Ferdinand 19 P. Neville 20 Stone 21 Fowler 22 Walker Coach: Venables v t e England squad – 1998 FIFA World Cup 1 Seaman 2 Campbell 3 Le Saux 4 Ince 5 Adams 6 Southgate 7 Beckham 8 Batty 9 Shearer (c) 10 Sheringham 11 McManaman 12 Neville 13 Martyn 14 Anderton 15 Merson 16 Scholes 17 Lee 18 Keown 19 L. Ferdinand 20 Owen 21 R. Ferdinand 22 Flowers Coach: Hoddle v t e England squad – UEFA Euro 2000 1 Seaman 2 G. Neville 3 P. Neville 4 Campbell 5 Adams 6 Keown 7 Beckham 8 Scholes 9 Shearer (c) 10 Owen 11 McManaman 12 Southgate 13 Martyn 14 Ince 15 Barry 16 Gerrard 17 Wise 18 Barmby 19 Heskey 20 Phillips 21 Fowler 22 Wright Coach: Keegan v t e England squad – 2002 FIFA World Cup 1 Seaman 2 Mills 3 A. Cole 4 Sinclair 5 Ferdinand 6 Campbell 7 Beckham (c) 8 Scholes 9 Fowler 10 Owen 11 Heskey 12 Brown 13 Martyn 14 Bridge 15 Keown 16 Southgate 17 Sheringham 18 Hargreaves 19 J. Cole 20 Vassell 21 Butt 22 James 23 Dyer Coach: Eriksson

Gavin Henson

Full name	Gavin Henson
Date of birth	(1982-02-01) 1 February 1982 (age 30)[1]
Place of birth	Pencoed, Mid Glamorgan, Wales
Height	183 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight	100 kg (15 st 10 lb)
School	Plas-y-Felin Primary School, Brynteg Comprehensive
Rugby union career
Playing career
Position	Centre, Fly-half, Fullback
Professional / senior clubs
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
2000 2000–2003 2003–2009 2010–2011 2011 2011–2012	Llanelli Swansea Ospreys Saracens RC Toulonnais Cardiff Blues	1 57 85 4 2 8	(5) (391) (773) (0) (5) (0)
correct as of 2 April 2012 (UTC).
National team(s)
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
2001– 2005	Wales British and Irish Lions	33 1	(130) (0)
correct as of 2 April 2012 (UTC).

Gavin Lloyd Henson (born 1 February 1982) is a Welsh rugby union player, born in Pencoed, South Wales, currently without a club after being dismissed by Cardiff Blues on 2 April 2012.^[2]

He attracted much media attention as part of a Wales national team which achieved Grand Slams in the Six Nations Championship in 2005 and 2008. He has also played for the British and Irish Lions, touring in 2005 to New Zealand but has never appeared at a World Cup.

Henson has played in a variety of positions including fly-half, fullback and inside centre. After an extended spell out of the national side, including missing the 2007 Rugby World Cup, he was recalled by caretaker coach Nigel Davies, being included in the squad to play against South Africa.

Since September 2010, Henson has participated in three reality television series, 71 Degrees North, Strictly Come Dancing and The Bachelor.

Henson has two children from his relationship with his former partner, singer Charlotte Church.

Rugby career[link]

Llanelli RFC: 2000[link]

Henson's one and only appearance for Llanelli RFC was against the then Edinburgh Reivers at Greenyards in May 2000. Edinburgh won the match 51-23. Henson played 10 and scored 5 points (1 conversion & 1 penalty).^[3]

Swansea/Ospreys: 2000-2009[link]

Born in Pencoed, Henson played rugby for his school, Brynteg Comprehensive, close to Bridgend, Wales.^[4] Despite his Bridgend origins, he joined Swansea RFC at the age of 18. He was presented with the International Rugby Board's Young Player of the Year award in 2001.^[5] During which time he had started paving the way to his international career by signing for the Wales A team. He made his international debut for Wales during June 2001 in a Test against Japan, coming off the bench.^[6] He then started his next match, at fly-half in a game against Romania on 19 September 2001.^[7] In November of that year he played for Wales A against Uruguay, scoring his first try in an international.

Henson in action for the Ospreys

In 2003 regional rugby was launched in Wales, and Henson played for the Ospreys. He made his debut for the Ospreys as a substitute on 9 September 2003 in a match against Ulster, scoring two tries and kicking both a penalty and conversion to score 15 points. He was moved to fly-half for the subsequent match against the Newport-Gwent Dragons, scoring 14 points from kicks. Henson return to the international field for Wales in 2003. He played twice, and was on the bench for two other Tests. He was capped against both the All Blacks and Romania.

Henson came to wider notice in 2004 with a series of excellent performances in Wales' autumn internationals against New Zealand and South Africa. Henson became a firm part of the Welsh starting lineup, and after playing at fullback in the second Test against Argentina and the first against South Africa, he played in the centres for the remainder of the season.

He remained on the team for the 2005 Six Nations Championship. In Wales' opening fixture in February, at home to England, Henson gave an effective performance; making two tackles on Matthew Tait (earning Tait the nickname 'Henson's Handbag') and landing the match-winning points with a 48 m penalty kick and being named man of the match.^[8][9] Back in his club side, Henson was part of a team which took the Celtic League cup: in the deciding match against Edinburgh on 26 March 2005, he scored 24 of his side's 29 points.^[10]

In the northern hemisphere summer of the same year, Henson was named in the Lions squad for the tour of New Zealand. He was "devastated not to be playing" in the first Test.^[11] When he was selected for the second test he was injured and could not play in the final test. A groin injury delayed his return to club rugby in the autumn of the year. Within months of his Ospreys return, Henson was cited for kicking and elbowing Leicester prop Alex Moreno in a game against Leicester on 19 December 2005.^[12] He was found not guilty of the kicking offence, but guilty of the elbowing. He was initially suspended for ten weeks and two days: this period was reduced on appeal to seven weeks. Following this suspension and a single game at club level, he returned to international rugby against Ireland.

Henson in action for Wales

In October 2005 Henson's My Grand Slam Year, was published. Comments about the Lions tour and remarks about other players ensured rapid publicity and Henson had to apologise to his team-mates.^[13] He was not selected in the Wales squad for the 2007 Rugby World Cup by then coach Gareth Jenkins, after he failed to prove his fitness after recovering from an Achilles tendon injury.

Henson was recalled to the Welsh Squad by caretaker coach Nigel Davies, to play against South Africa shortly after the 2007 Rugby World Cup. He then started for of all of Wales 2008 Six Nations Championship games, Wales then went on to win the Grand Slam for the second time in four seasons. Henson lost his first 6 Nations match in which he started on the 21 March 2009 as Ireland beat Wales in Cardiff 17–15, to win the Grand Slam.^[14]

Sabbatical: 2009-2010[link]

On 13 July 2009, British tabloid newspaper, The Sun, announced that Henson planned to retire immediately from rugby and spend more time sailing.^[15] On 14 July 2009, Henson and the Ospreys issued a joint statement denying the player had any intention of quitting. Henson said, "I've certainly been having difficulties with the recurring injury but I have absolutely no intention of quitting the game".^[16]

In 2009 Mike Turner of the Crusaders (who play in Super League) stated that if Henson ever thought of switching to rugby league the club would be happy to talk to him.^[17] Since this time Henson has made no official statement on the subject, shown any intent with regards to joining a Super League club or held any talks with the Crusaders, although he regularly attended their matches in 2009.^[18]

Comeback: 2010-present[link]

On 27 October 2010, Ospreys released a statement from Managing Director, Mike Cuddy, stating that Henson would be released from his contract with the province with immediate effect,^[19] and that he would be returning to rugby with the English club Saracens. Henson had not played professional Rugby for 18 months before this announcement following his period of unpaid leave from the Ospreys. Henson had been reported as having trained with Saracens two days prior to this announcement on 25 October 2010, leading to speculation that the return to professional rugby was imminent. Henson's agent, Matt Ginvert, stated that Henson will return to Rugby after completing his commitments with the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing programme, and Saracens chief executive Edward Griffiths said that he saw no reason why Henson would not compete for the club before Christmas 2010.^[20] Henson signed for Saracens in October 2010, making his debut at Wembley Stadium in the Boxing Day 2010 match against London Wasps; his first competitive game since March 2009.^[21][22] After playing four games for Saracens, starting only one, Henson was released from his contract on 2 February 2011.^[23]

The same day, French sports newspaper L'Equipe reported that Henson had met RC Toulonnais head coach Philippe Saint-André and club owner Mourad Boudjellal, for lunch in Toulon. The club, with their two first choice fly-halves out injured, had an available space in their squad under Top 14 regulations. Henson had commented while at Saracens that he was frustrated not to be playing in his preferred position.^[23] The following day he signed a five-month contract with RC Toulonnais.^[23] In April 2011, he was suspended for two weeks following an incident on a night out after a match against Toulouse, involving an alleged fight with his team-mates. After a hearing, RC Toulonnais President Boudjellal decided to reintegrate Henson back into the squad.^[24]

On 24 May 2011, Henson was released by RC Toulonnais.^[25]

On 4 June 2011, Henson played his first match for Wales in 2 years, starting against the Barbarians, Henson put in a good performance, although he described his match as "showing glimpses of what he can do".^[26] The match was a loss to the Barbarians, with Isa Nacewa scoring a try in the 79th minute, taking the score from 28-26 to Wales to 28-31 to the Barbarians.^[27][28]

After the Barbarian match, Henson was named in the 45-man preliminary 2011 Rugby World Cup squad by Warren Gatland.^[29] On 11 August 2011, Henson started for Wales in a warmup test against rivals England at Millennium Stadium, but left late in the first half after dislocating his wrist. The following day it was announced that surgery on his wrist would keep him out for six to eight weeks, and that he would not be available for the pool stages of the World Cup.^[30]

In October 2011, it was announced by his agent and subsequently various media outlets, that Henson had signed for the Cardiff Blues.^[31] The club later confirmed the 8 month deal.^[32]

On 2 April 2012 it was announced by Cardiff Blues that his contract had been terminated by the club after he was reported to be drinking and behaving inappropriately on a flight home from Scotland after a Blues match against Glasgow Warriors. The airline Flybe, which Henson was flying with, banned him from the airline for a six-month period. ^[33][34][35]

Reality television[link]

In September 2010 he featured in the ITV1 outdoor series 71 Degrees North, a challenge show set in Norway in which he finished in 2nd place, losing out to Marcus Patric. He then featured as a contestant on BBC1's Strictly Come Dancing 's eighth series, partnered by Katya Virshilas. In August 2011 a series, The Bachelor, in which 25 young women battle it out on the French Riviera to win the heart of Henson "the Bachelor", began on Channel 5.^[36] He has been criticized for these appearances in the press and by many rugby fans.^[36][37]

Personal life[link]

His relationship with singer Charlotte Church has been well covered by the media in the United Kingdom. On 20 September 2007, Church gave birth to a daughter, Ruby Megan Henson.^[38] On 11 January 2009, Church gave birth to the couple's second child, a son, Dexter Lloyd Henson.^[39][40] Henson was excused from a 13 December 2008 Heineken Cup match against Benetton Treviso because Church was due to deliver about a month prematurely; however, this did not happen.^[41] On 31 May 2010 Henson and Church announced that their relationship was over, only two months after they had announced their engagement.^[42]

Henson has appeared in advertisements for several companies, including Brits Bingo, Nike pro, Matalan, Nestle and for one of the Wales national team sponsors, Brains.^{[citation needed]}

On 10 December 2007, Henson was charged, along with three other men, with disorderly conduct after alleged "rowdy" behaviour while they were travelling on the 19:37 First Great Western train from London Paddington to Cardiff Central on 2 December 2007.^[43] They had been summoned to appear at Cardiff Magistrates Court on 14 January 2008, but the case against Henson was later dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service due to insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction.^[44]

On 1 April 2009, it was reported on the BBC that Henson was cautioned by police "in relation to the incident" following an investigation of assault at a premises in Cardiff's St Mary's Street on 15 February.^[45]

Henson chose Carianne Barrow to be his girlfriend on The Bachelor. The couple split in March 2012.^[46]

Honours[link]

• Wales U16
• Wales U18
• Wales U19
• Wales Development XV
• Wales A
• Wales U21
• Wales
• British & Irish Lions

Filmography[link]

• 71 Degrees North (ITV, 2010)
• Strictly Come Dancing (BBC, 2010)
• The Bachelor (Channel 5, 2011)

References[link]