Senior Lions round on Henson

2005 British & Irish Lions skipper Brian O'Driscoll believes Wales star Gavin Henson has done himself few favours following his criticism of the failed New Zealand tour.

Henson blasted Lions supremo Sir Clive Woodward and media consultant Alastair Campbell in a newspaper serialisation of his forthcoming warts-and-all book 'My Grand Slam Year'.

The Wales centre also took a swipe at unnamed Lions squad members and suggested some of the English players loved the role play, which involved wearing wigs and masks, during the pre-tour ice-breaking sessions because "they'd probably done it before every week at public school".

But O'Driscoll, whose own Lions recollections will be unveiled in a book published later this month, has hit back.

"I don't think you do yourself any favours by giving it out about team-mates in a book, rather than saying it to their face," said O'Driscoll, when asked about the Henson's comments at Monday's Heineken Cup launch in Cardiff.

"I've got some comments to make on how I thought the tour went, but none of them criticising any of my team-mates. It is more objective, the way I look at it.

"I felt we had a genuinely very good opportunity of going down to New Zealand and winning a Test series - I truly believed that. When you look back, we didn't get some of the components right to enable ourselves to do that."

Former England captain Jason Robinson, a Lions colleague of Henson and O'Driscoll in New Zealand during the 3-0 Test series whitewash, backed his tour skipper's stance.

"It's part of the teamship rules - you shouldn't do it," said Robinson.

"Sometimes, you have to bite your lip. It is about pulling together [on a Lions tour] to achieve a goal, and I don't think that is the best way to go. If you have got a problem, then go to the person you've got a problem with and sort it out.

"I know a lot of the [Lions] management from previous occasions, and how they operate, so for me it was easier to deal with.

"If you are not used to certain people and personalities, it can rub you up the wrong way if you let it.

"Everyone has got their opinions. Lots of players and back-up staff were taken to New Zealand, and they've got different personalities and different ways of doing things.

"Part of a Lions tour is to try to gel all those different characters and personalities to become one. There will always be times when you disagree with views of certain people but the main thing is that everyone has to do their job.

"I respect that people tried to do it the way they wanted to do it, and unfortunately, we weren't successful.

"It is a very tough job playing against New Zealand, the form team in the world, and coming together for such a short period of time was always going to be a big ask but I felt that everyone there put everything into it."

While Robinson now contemplates a first season of international retirement, O'Driscoll is continuing the recovery process from a shoulder injury that ended his Lions tour less than five minutes into the Test series.

While he will sit out Ireland's autumn Test schedule next month, which includes a Dublin clash against the All Blacks, O'Driscoll could be back playing before Christmas, with every chance of featuring in Leinster's final two Heineken Cup group games next January.

"It is not a case of setting targets," he said. "I am going to see the specialist tomorrow, and kind of get the go-ahead to start some more rigorous type of preparation."

And as for the controversial spear-tackle by All Blacks skipper Tana Umaga and hooker Keven Mealamu that caused his injury, O'Driscoll's view on the incident has not changed.

"I still stand by the fact I was a little surprised that nothing ever did come of it," he added, recalling how Umaga and Mealamu both escaped punishment.

"I was told there was no malice in it, and I have to take that at face value, but a bad tackle is a bad tackle."

Meanwhile, O'Driscoll dismissed rumours that he was eyeing up a move to France by pledging his future to Leinster "for the foreseeable future".

The Lions skipper fuelled that speculation when he was a guest of Biarritz for their French Championship clash against Stade Français last month, but the centre has moved to distance himself from transfer rumours.

"I haven't been in any contract negotiations with anyone," he said.

"As far as I am concerned, I am a Leinster player for the foreseeable future. Any comments that have been made have not been on my behalf.

"It is an ongoing process about where I want to be and what I want to do. I have this shoulder injury to get over, and that is taking up most of my concentration.

"I want to get back and become a stronger, fitter, faster player. The challenge for me is to try to pick up from where I left off."

The 11th Heineken Cup kicks off on Friday week, with defending champions Toulouse targeting an unprecedented fourth title success this season.

The final, meanwhile, returns to Cardiff's Millennium Stadium next May for the first time since Leicester beat Munster in 2002.