Amid Bristol Bears' star-laden line-up, Jake Heenan’s name isn’t one that immediately stands out, nor does the work he gets through on the field afford him a high billing when breaking down the highlights of a performance.
The 30-year-old isn’t even a consistent starter under Pat Lam, but the fact he’s wearing the captain’s armband, in the continued absence of Steven Luatua and phased return of Joe Joyce, outlines everything about Heenan’s character in the Bears dressing room and on the field.
Always communicating, cajoling and encouraging; his voice on the field is matched by the standards he sets and the unfussy way he goes about things.
Qualities that Lam knew exactly what he’d be getting, when he first brought the back rower over the Irish channel to Bristol in 2018 having worked with him from the age of 17 with Connacht and, prior to that, the Blues back home in Auckland.
Heenan was an All Black prospect in his teens, representing his country at Schoolboys and captaining the Under-20s but Lam tempted him to Ireland in 2013 and even back then he was complimenting the flanker’s attributes as a true “team player”.
His impact with Connacht was significant but also interrupted by a series of shoulder injuries which limited his availability over three seasons before he made the move to Ashton Gate five years ago.
Now part of the furniture with the Bears, and well-settled in Bristol having opened two Burra cafes in Redland and Gloucester Road with teammate Luke Morahan and COO Tom Tainton, his presence as an understated, underrated but never under-appreciated member of this squad is invaluable.
“Jake was the (New Zealand) Under-20s captain when I was coming through, and I picked him up when he was at school in Auckland and he showed leadership qualities then, as he led our Blues Under-18s," Lam said. "When I got to Connacht, I was bringing him along because, again, I knew him very well and he was phenomenal for us and was heading in the right direction until he got the injuries.
“And it was tough for him but it also strengthened him and he’s at a stage of his career where he’s always been about the team - on and off the field - him and Luke Morahan have opened up two cafes here and he’s got a really good balance in his life.
"He’s got a lovely wife, Adele, from France, and the biggest thing is, his whole personality as to who he is, and the leader he is - he’s a bit of an unsung hero. People outside probably don’t pick up on him too much but he just gets the job done.
“He’s not as flashy as some other players but what we have as a coaching team is we have absolute trust and faith that Jake will tick the boxes and do the right things. He’s filling in for Steven (as captain) and Joycey, who has only just got back, after not having a full pre-season, and it’s a role there which he does admirably every time.
“He knows he’s not going to play every time, every season, but he’s a team man and at the moment he’s doing a great job as he always does.”
One leader who will be missing from the Bears squad when it’s confirmed at Friday lunchtime is Ellis Genge whose skill, strength and presence was showcased in emphatic fashion during last weekend’s win over Bath.
The England front row delivered two tries and revelled in the moment back at Ashton Gate with a Bristol badge on his chest. However, the agreement with the RFU is to carefully manage the 27-year-old’s game time over the next six months to ensure he’s at optimum level when the Six Nations kicks off.
Lam confirmed earlier this week he won’t be selected against Wasps and has hinted that the majority of Genge’s appearances this season, at least over the first half of the campaign, are going to be at Ashton Gate.
Unlike the prop, however, the Bears other players who have been selected by Eddie Jones this year won’t under such detailed requirements given they didn’t feature for England over the summer. Kyle Sinckler’s back injury kept him out of international action while although back row forward Sam Jeffries and scrum half Harry Randall travelled on tour to Australia, their involvement was limited to just training.
“Kyle wasn’t on tour and Sam and Harry, their plan was relatively straightforward because they went 13 weeks since their last game, so they went down and basically trained and supported the England team, they had no game time,” Lam added. “Every plan with every England player is completely different and their plan was straight back into rugby.
“Both of them aren’t certainties for November so the only way they’re going to get in isn’t by training, it’s getting back and performing with the Bears, which will hopefully give them the chance to compete for a place in that November team.
“Ellis is obviously slightly different as a starter and we wrote out quite a comprehensive plan with medical teams, S&C teams, coaching teams, myself and Eddie and the England staff. It wasn’t the case of, ‘right, we want him to play’, we put the plan together and we’ll continue to follow it.
“If Ellis had his way he’d play every game, but the thing about home games is there is no travel for him and that was also factored in, he doesn’t need to travel overnight. He can just rock up and the game for him was doing a contact session, really. The plan is written out all the way up to Six Nations and we’ve all signed it off and we’ll follow it.”
