Gavin Henson is risk worth taking, says Wales coach Warren Gatland

There is no place in Gatland’s squad for former Wasps No 8 Andy Powell, however, who left the Premiership club after being suspended for his role in an altercation with football fans in a west London pub that resulted in him being knocked unconscious and requiring 10 stitches for a head wound.

Powell however is expected to receive more positive news on Tuesday, when it is understood he is likely to sign for Sale Sharks, despite strong interest from London Irish and rugby league sides Wigan Warriors and Celtic Crusaders.

Henson, who last played for Wales in their Six Nations defeat by Ireland in March 2009 before going on a 19-month self-imposed exile from the game, is included in a 26-man squad from which Gatland will select his team to tackle the Barbarians in Cardiff on June 4.

The 29 year-old’s call-up comes after the Toulon centre was suspended by his club for fighting with his team-mates following their Top 14 victory over Toulouse last month.

Toulon initially suggested Henson would have no future at the club, but his suspension was lifted and he appeared as a substitute during their defeat by Montpellier on Saturday.

Henson’s future at Toulon, whom he joined after an unsuccessful four-match stint at Saracens having secured an early release from his contract at the Ospreys, is still uncertain.

Gatland insists the former 2005 Lions tourist, and two-time Grand Slam winner, was worth the gamble. “This game gives us an opportunity to get Gavin back into the fold,” said Gatland. “We want to have a look at a quality player. I know there have been certain issues, but all I can say about Gavin is that when he has been in our squad you couldn’t get a guy who has been more professional in terms of the training environment. He has played well for us.

“If we can get the best out of Gavin, I think it would be good for Wales. We have been prepared to take that risk with Gavin.”

Meanwhile, Sport England has cut funding to the Rugby Football Union by more than £1 million because the governing body failed to meet participation targets for both the men’s and women’s game.

Sport England’s “Active People” survey showed that the number of adults playing rugby union at least once a week has declined from 230,000 at the start of the funding period, in 2009, to 177,900 at the latest calculation, leading to a cut in funding of just over £30 million by £1.078 million.

“We have to accept that the failure to meet our Sport England targets over the last few years would inevitably affect the level of funding we receive,” said RFU chief executive John Steele. “However, I now believe we have far more realistic targets for the next two years and we are committed to creating a sound platform for growth as we move towards the home World Cup in 2015.”

WALES SQUAD - Forwards: P James (Ospreys), J Yapp (Cardiff Blues), R Bevington (Ospreys), S Andrews (Cardiff Blues), H Bennett (Ospreys), R Hibbard (Ospreys), L Burns (Newport Gwent Dragons), A-W Jones (Ospreys), R Jones (Ospreys), L Charteris (Newport Gwent Dragons), L Reed (Scarlets), D Lydiate (Newport Gwent Dragons), T Faletau (Newport Gwent Dragons), J Turnbull (Scarlets), S Warburton (Cardiff Blues, capt). Backs: M Stoddart (Scarlets), G North (Scarlets), A Brew (Newport Gwent Dragons), S Williams (Ospreys), J Davies (Scarlets), S Williams (Scarlets), G Henson (Toulon), S Jones (Scarlets), R Priestland (Scarlets), M Phillips (Ospreys), T Knoyle (Scarlets).

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Lewis Hamilton: Jenson Button leads Formula One title race after taking 'easy route'

Lewis Hamilton insists his McLaren team-mate Jenson Button leads the driver's standings because he has made life easier for himself. However, the 25 year-old is confident that the tables will soon turn and says he is proud of the way he has stayed in touch with his team-mate despite various qualifying setbacks and team errors.

Button led home a McLaren one-two at the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday, making what turned out to be an inspired decision not to pit early when others, including Hamilton, switched their dry tyres for intermediates.

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It was the second time in a month, following the Australian Grand Prix three weeks ago, that Button, 30, had stolen a march on his younger compatriot.

Nevertheless, Hamilton, 25, feels he has raced superbly in the four races so far this year – making 32 overtaking manoeuvres, 12 of them in China alone, to Button's seven – and has only been let down by his qualifying pace and team mistakes.

"I feel I have had great races but Jenson has taken the right decisions and taken the easier route," Hamilton said. "I have had the harder route and got good results but hopefully soon I will take the easier route and it will be a lot easier."

Of course, Hamilton was not suggesting that his McLaren team-mate has had it easy – clearly if it was so straightforward everyone would have made the same race-winning tyre calls – merely that he has not yet enjoyed the rub of the green.

Nevertheless, he finds himself just 11 points behind Button going into the European season and says everything between them is going swimmingly.

"The good thing with me and Jenson is that we clearly want to beat each other but Jenson is very smart and does not have that too aggressive flair in him and neither have I," Hamilton said.

"I'm not surprised he has settled so quickly. There was a lot of stuff about him joining my team and I would be favoured ... the team just embrace the drivers, they want us both to win.

"They did absolutely everything to get him up to speed and feel comfortable. They did the same for me in 2007.

"I am really happy for him. He did a better job and I am sure that when the tables turn, as they will, it will the same for me."

Neither Hamilton nor Button is being beset by the travel problems afflicting the 1,000-plus members of the F1 travelling circus in Shanghai.

As desperate mechanics, chefs, engineers and journalists tried to plot a route home on Monday after travel plans were compromised by the Icelandic dust clouds, Hamilton jetted to South Africa for a sponsorship trip accompanied by his mother, with whom he is then going on safari, while Button flew to Thailand for a holiday with his girlfriend.

"It's the best time of my life, so far. You can write that as big as you want," said Button, who paid tribute to his team-mate.

"I think we're both dong a fantastic job. It's good to have a team-mate who's so competitive. The guy will never give up. He's like a pitbull."

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Chinese Grand Prix: F1's arms race reaches critical stage with Ferrari taking on McLaren

Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso is excited by the steps his team are taking to further improve their car. Mercedes and Williams are also thought to be close to introducing their versions of the controversial device, which means the driver closes off a valve in the cockpit by using his body, an effect that in turn helps to 'stall' the rear wing, reducing drag and giving the car a massive straight-line speed advantage.

Jenson Button tried to play down that advantage on Thursday when he claimed that the only reason his MP4-25 machine is so fast on the straights is because it is lacking in downforce, the aerodynamic effect that keeps a car glued to the track.

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"Red Bull were 14km/h slower than us

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