Irish Star’s Father Plays Big Role In Son’s Career
Connacht and Ireland star Robbie Henshaw has hit the headlines over the last month after a series of excellent performances during Ireland‘s Six Nations campaign but one of the men partly responsible for his rise is both his agent and his father.
Henshaw is represented by his father Tony and the father/son-agent/player relationship is nothing new in Irish rugby with Brian O’Driscoll, Leo Cullen, Dave Kearney and Ian Madigan just a handful of players to have had their interests minded by their fathers.
Henshaw’s star has risen this season after he, along with Ulster’s Jared Payne, took on the difficult challenge of trying to fill Brian O’Driscoll’s boots in the centres and it has led to speculation about his future.
But dad Tony has suggested that both player and agent are in no rush, saying: “It depends what he wants to do himself. We will wait a while, certainly until after the World Cup.”
Tony is an engineer by profession and has countered his potential limitations at the negotiating table.
He added: “I had been using a very good friend of mine and Robbie’s, Michael Cosgrave.”
Cosgrave, a former director with Aviva, along with a family solicitor in Athlone, ensured all parties were satisfied the last time a deal was signed.
“Cosi would be well suited to that sort of stuff, having been part of negotiation teams for many years. Together we did that last deal in Connacht with Pat Lam. It was good for everyone, both Connacht and Robbie got a decent deal out of it at the time.”
Henshaw junior’s commercial deals are also handled within the family, with Tony adding: “I don’t want Robbie to be the fella that every time you lift a stone he jumps out from under it. We have a couple of things going on with 3 and Adidas.”
