Iain Henderson

Iain Henderson is the captain of Ulster. A firm favourite with rugby fans around the world, he’s a powerful and dynamic player who has put in some notable performances for both club and country.

Born 21 February 1992, Iain Henderson started his rugby career at Belfast Royal Academy. Here, he excelled at all age levels and he even guided the school’s first XV to the final of the Ulster Schools’ Cup in 2010.

Since 2012, Iain Henderson has represented Ulster. Over the years, he’s made more than 100 appearances for the side. During this period, he’s finished as a runner-up in the PRO14 tournament twice (including once when it was known as the PRO12). In the 2019-20 season, he also replaced Rory Best as the club’s captain.

Since a young age, Iain Henderson has also played for Irish representative teams, including the U20 side. However, he made his debut for the first XV in 2012, which was the same year that he represented Ulster for the first time. Since, he’s been capped more than 60 times by his country and he’s won the Six Nations Championship on three occasions, including a Grand Slam in 2018. Plus, he captained his country for the first time in 2021.

Thanks to his impressive performances for Ulster and Ireland, Iain Henderson was selected for the British and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand in 2017. However, he didn’t make an appearance in the test matches. In May 2021, it was announced that he’d also been selected for the upcoming British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa.

With many years of elite rugby still ahead of him, we can’t wait to see what else this giant of rugby can achieve in the game.