Austin denies glee over Henry

Austin Healey had listened to the singing for long enough in the bar at Saracens on Saturday night after Leicester's league game. The constant chants of: "Healey's got a wig," finally elicited a response from the England wing and he put his drink down, stood on a chair and proceeded to ferociously tug his rug.

Of course, he doesn't have a toupee. "Look, it's all my own hair," the Leicester star shouted. The Saracens fans loved it, although this revelation made the outrageous wigs the 40 locals were wearing redundant.

Follicle conversations and 'syrup' taunts have dogged Healey ever since he agreed to publicise a new treatment for receding hair. A special cream was spread over his thinning locks and then his head was squeezed into a hairdryer-like contraption with lasers.

The results stare out at you from back-page advertisements in national newspapers.

When I made the mistake of referring to the process as a weave, Healey responded by again tugging madly at his hair. "It's not a weave, it really is my own hair that's grown back," said the 28-year-old, who courted controversy during and after the summer Lions tour to Australia by bad-mouthing coach Graham Henry and Wallaby lock Justin Harrison.

Healey, who faces Ireland at Twickenham on Saturday, was so unimpressed by Henry that he believed the England players had to go back three years in their evolutionary development to incorporate the rigid style he wanted for the Lions. Henry left the Welsh coaching job last week and, despite their problems on the tour, Healey said: "I take no satisfaction at all because Graham Henry and the Welsh job has absolutely nothing to do with me.

"I have no concerns if he is their coach or not. I was more upset when my mate Dai Young retired as Wales captain at the end of last year.

"A lot of people have asked if I feel as if I have achieved anything because of the Henry thing, but that's not the case.

"Losing your job can happen to anyone if someone above you doesn't believe you are performing well and that will also be the case for me if I don't do the business on Saturday against Ireland. I won't be in the England team again."

The arrival of the Irish is particularly poignant for Healey, who still believes a handling error he made in the dying seconds last year cost England the chance of victory and a Grand Slam triumph in Dublin.

He said: "I was sent on with 15 minutes to go to do a job. I got one try and then knocked on at a crucial moment.Too often people hide behind what happened, but I was very upset."

Healey is raring to go against Ireland and is certain to produce something different on Saturday.

He added: "I always said in my life I didn't want to just be one of the crowd and when I do conform, it's because it makes me happy.

"All I am trying to do is make sure I don't get bored.

"When people meet me for the first time, I am sure the perception is that I am that cheeky-chappie who's arrogant and won't talk to anyone but, as happened with the 40 wig-wearing lads at Saracens, I love to have a laugh."

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