Allan Massie: Thoughts of fairytale comebacks lead romantics in a merry dance

Published on Friday 17 December 2010 12:59

THE old adage used to be "they never come back". It's as true, or untrue, as most of such sayings. We can all think of some individuals, in a variety of sports, who have indeed made a successful return after retirement or long absence as a result of injury.

Romantics like the idea, and the notion of a former champion returning to show he is still capable of being the best is attractive. Even so and even given the troubles - until yesterday - of the present Australian cricket team, last week's suggestion that Shane Warne should return to rescue Australia's Ashes bid seemed far-fetched, wildly optimistic or plain stupid. Warne retired from Test cricket four years ago when he was still a great bowler. He subsequently played two seasons of county cricket for Hampshire, during which time he was only a very good one. Since then he has played only kids' cricket - the 20/20 game - in which he is never required to bowl more than four overs. Poor preparation for a Test match.

Some who called for his return suggested that the sight of Warne with ball in hand would have English batsmen going weak at the knees. More likely they'd be licking their lips as they savoured the opportunity to take revenge for past humiliations. Warne got out at the right time. There are few things sadder than to see a once-great player struggling to recapture his old mastery. Watching Stephen Hendry at the snooker table is no fun for those of us who remember him in his pomp.

Down in Wales just now there's a like clamour for the return of Gavin Henson for the Six Nations, even though it's almost two years since he played a game of rugby. There's word that he may play for his new club, Saracens, on Boxing Day. Perhaps he will, but I'll be surprised if he doesn't struggle. Henson of course is still quite young - only 28 - and was a very fine player, if not a great one; but it will be hard for him to pick up where he left off, and it would be no great surprise if he played a few games for Saracens and then dropped out again. It depends on how much he wants it, but a few weeks of Strictly, Come Dancing are scarcely adequate preparation for top-class rugby. Still, there are Welsh fans who think otherwise. "Nobody doubts his class," says one contributor to a BBC website. "Dream boy Gavin will be back," says another - though this could be ironic.

JPR Williams was a greater player than Henson, but when the Welsh selectors brought him back for a match at Murrayfield in 1981 after he had been out of international rugby for a couple of years, he had a terrible time and it was painful to watch.

That decision wasn't as weird as one made by Ireland's happy-go-lucky amateur selectors way back in 1970. They recalled 33-year-old Tony O'Reilly, star of Lions tours in 1955 and 1959, on the strength of a couple of matches for London Irish after seven years absence from international rugby. O'Reilly, by then a successful businessman, arrived at Twickenham, cheerful but overweight, in his chauffeur-driven limousine. His captain, Willie-John McBride, giving the team talk, took one look at him and said, "as for you, O'Reilly, you'd better just shake your jowls at them". The experiment was not repeated.

Henson last played in March 2009. If his absence had been due only to injury, it would be reasonable to expect him to get back to his best form. Jonny Wilkinson, who has suffered more injuries than Henson has made celebrity appearances, is reportedly in outstanding form for Toulon. Nobody, however, had doubted Wilkinson's commitment and willingness to spend days, weeks and months in rehab and training.

In contrast, Henson moved away from rugby, apparently disillusioned with the game, and eventually exhausted the patience of the Ospreys' management, and - it is said - that of his fellow-players too. This makes his comeback even more demanding.

Edinburgh have Nick De Luca back in their squad for the match against Castres on Sunday, after missing the first half of the season with a groin injury. This is a very different sort of comeback. Far from being disillusioned with the game, he will have been raring to return. Ever since he was playing for the Border Reivers, De Luca has seemed to have the skill to become the most dangerous attacking centre available to us.

Always able to make a break or half-break, his progress was delayed by a tendency either to lose the ball in contact or to muff the pass to a supporting player. Last season he showed that he was overcoming these faults. When he is back to full match fitness, he will provide Edinburgh with a sharper threat in midfield. Not only Edinburgh but, one hopes, Scotland too.

Playing De Luca at 13, with Max Evans on the wing, might give us our best chance of ending the try famine.