Henderson lands at England’s door via Australia, Scotland and France

Ian Henderson’s animated rugby league odyssey entered further new territory yesterday when he was named in England’s Elite Training Squad.

It was a shock announcement from coach Steve McNamara, certainly more so than his inclusion of 11 Leeds Rhinos.

However, on reflection, such news should be no great surprise.

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Henderson is a dynamic hooker who first emerged here as a 2005 Grand Final winner with Bradford Bulls, was born in Torquay and is undoubtedly one of Super League’s leading players.

It is the eclectic outposts in between which make his path thus far so colourful.

Henderson’s family moved to Sydney when he was aged five, so he was raised Australian.

Due to his Glaswegian father, he represented Scotland at the last World Cup yet now plays for French club Catalan Dragons after a seminal spell in Auckland with New Zealand Warriors.

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All roads lead back to England, however, and, with a mother from Shrewsbury, the coach is adamant about his allegiance.

“Ian spoke about his desire to play for England when he signed for Catalan last year,” said McNamara.

“At the end of last season, I didn’t think it was right but picking an increased squad enabled me to include him.

“He laughed and joked about it in the past – he was called a Pom at Bradford and he has played for Scotland – but he’s very, very passionate about playing for England.

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“With any of these decisions with slight controversy around them, I have to make sure the person is right for the group and is doing it for the right reasons. With Ian, I’m certain of that.”

McNamara was Bradford assistant when the unknown rookie arrived mid-season seven years ago and helped fire their famous drive to glory.

The wiry Henderson’s utter unpredictably – with his zip, pace and elusiveness – was his biggest asset along with a tenacious defensive appetite.

At the same time, though, some thought because of that mercurial streak, he struggled to always implement a coach’s plans.

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However, McNamara says the roguish Henderson – who turns 29 next month – has now evolved into a far more rounded player.

“He’s always had that ability to frighten teams with his running,” he said. “But, over the last few years, certainly since he’s come back from the NRL, his game management has improved out of sight and he’s sensational at the moment.”

Leeds’s Rob Burrow will compete with Henderson but Huddersfield Giants hooker Luke Robinson will wonder what he has done wrong not to make the 32-man squad for a second year running.

Team-mate Danny Brough has been recalled – the scrum-half “has a real spark back in his game” – ahead of two matches against the Exiles on Saturday, June 16 and Wednesday, July 4.

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A sign of England’s rising three-quarter strength is illustrated by the inclusion of exciting young Rhinos centres Zak Hardaker and Kallum Watkins who have both been promoted from the England Knights squad, as has Super League top scorer Josh Charnley.

Huddersfield’s Leroy Cudjoe is recalled while Hull KR’s uncapped Kris Welham is also in the mix, meaning Michael Shenton and Ryan Atkins, almost certainties in the centre berth just 18 months ago, do not now even make either squad.

Wigan second-row Gareth Hock is included for the first time since returning from a two-year drugs ban, team-mate Lee Mossop getting his first taste in a squad which should form the bulk of McNamara’s 2013 World Cup plans.

Sean O’Loughlin, Chris Bridge, Huddersfield’s Eorl Crabtree and, most promisingly of all, St Helens’ tyro scrum-half Jonny Lomax, all return after missing the 2011 Four Nations through injury.

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The only players left out from that squad are England’s Australia-based contingent, who are not being considered for the Exiles fixtures but will be available for an end-of-season triangular tournament featuring Wales and France.

That will culminate in a final on the weekend of November 10 and replaces the Four Nations Series involving Australia and New Zealand.

McNamara also yesterday announced a 24-man Knights squad who will play Ireland as a curtain-raiser to the first Exiles clash and take part in an end-of-season Alitalia European Cup, alongside Scotland, Ireland and 2013 World Cup qualifiers Italy.

Huddersfield centre Joe Wardle and Hull KR hooker Josh Hodgson each get well-deserved first selections for the Knights and both squads will meet up on Sunday evening for a three-day training camp at Loughborough.

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Meanwhile, McNamara will follow the lead of the Wales rugby union side by taking his ETS on some high-altitude training later this year.

“We’re always looking for ways to get that extra edge,” he said.

“I don’t know any other RL nation that has done this and we’re really keen to expose our players to something we feel can increase physical performance.”