Robbie Henshaw has no doubts, Simon Easterby's presence during his time with Ireland through the Six Nations was impressive.And has him due reward as he has been selected as Lions Defence coach this summer.Henshaw has been particularly taken by Easterby's grace under pressure, dignity, honesty and approachability."I presume Simon was able to take away so many learnings from being the Head Coach too."I enjoyed playing under him, he was always there to have a chat if you wanted him, found it particularly interesting that he had played for Ireland at the highest level and how it informed what he brought to the group."That's not always what it is about as a coach but his understanding of his time as a player gave him a good read of what was happening with you."Easterby played no6 all his career, he was a quintessentially a blindside who chipped in as an auxiliary lineout jumper.Is that not a bit different to Robbie Henshaw being chopped and changed recently, first-centre at times with a special brief to 'look after' Sam Prendergast inside him, second-centre by times, on the bench on occasion too. "Yeah, I suppose so, but it's back to Leinster now and I'll probably be considered as a no12, I suppose it's about coaches asking where do I fit in," he says."Looking forward to it as well, I've definitely been enjoying playing with Sam, because having an experienced set of eyes outside you is huge for any player, especially a young player. It is the same for me when it comes to who is playing at no13."I am happy to play either first or centre but I'd agree it is always helpful when a no10 has a good communicator outside him."Where we are unlikely to see Henshaw at Ireland or with Leinster ever again is at full-back. His last outing there with Ireland against England in February 2019 did not go as well as he might have liked. "That game England hurt me personally at the time because you always want to put in your best in green."I remember too, I went in quite cold to that game, I'd only played one game for Leinster before that. I'd been out with a hamstring and had played just 60 minutes against Wasps beforehand. "That was at no12 and to go from there to the back of the field was difficult, there was nothing really said afterwards and the following week I was moved to no13 in training and then I got injured that week! "I know the type of metres I cover and I see the type of metres needed to play full-back at that level now. So I know that if I go back there I wouldn't be able to cover it." It is going to be exciting being back at Leinster which has seen RG Snyman joined by two outstanding imports Rabah Slimani and Jordie Barratt while there are younger stars Sam Prendergast and Jamie Osborne show-casing terrific ability."Right now, versatility has been Jamie's calling card. He is a big lad and he has loads of strength. He is probably still finding his way, deciding which is the best position for him."He is in a great position to learn from Jordie Barrett who is such a great footballer, he makes things look so simple. For a guy of six-foot-three he makes everything look easy "All the lads are learning bits and bobs from him, although it is more together as a unit in meetings rather than in one-to-ones. You seem to learn more that way or in breakout groups." Snyman, in his second season now, has continued to deliver high quality performances and adding All Black Barrett to the Springbok second-row gives Leinster the opportunity to put two 2023 Rugby World Cup finalists on the pitch at the same time. "RG is so professional but what I love is that he plays with a smile on his face and can perform," continues Henshaw. "He had this ability to suck in players and that's class because he can offload in so many different ways."He is really good when he makes those half-breaks, lifting his arms above the tackle so that he can feed two or three different people, reaching out with his big levers. Even having Rabah there, his ability to win a scrum penalty when you are under pressure is great."I think we have a bit extra this year, having those lads there is going to give us a bit of confidence around the Champions League time. That it will help when it comes to those big knockout games."There is also the idea this is a Lions year, that squad due to be revealed on May 8 and until then it is fingers-crossed - not least as in Henshaw's case the centre is probably the most competitive area across the four eligible nations."The Lions has been a great experience for me, I've been on two tours although the last one was through Covid. "I loved the groups, I loved the tours, getting to know different guys that you didn't know beforehand, the whole experience is special and exciting for anyone." Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email.