MACK HANSEN will be ready for action for Connacht as soon as his three-week international break after the World Cup is over, according to the province’s head coach Pete Wilkins.
The Irish winger is currently rehabbing the ankle injury that forced him off in the World Cup quarter-final defeat to the All Blacks but Wilkins expects him, Bundee Aki and Finlay Bealham to be available soon.
But with a two-match trip to South Africa coming up, the international trio might not see action for Connacht until December when they meet Leinster.
Hansen was at Saturday’s clash as Connacht opened their campaign with a bonus point 34-26 win over Ospreys at the Sportsground and Wilkins said that the calf injury suffered against Scotland is fine and he just now needs to rehab the ankle issue.
“That was what brought him off the field,” said Wilkins. “He might need a couple of weeks rehab around that and he’s got his allocated leave time as well. All of those international guys have got three weeks’ break and they are into week two of it now. The great thing is all three are desperate to get back and play as quickly as possible.
“There is the disappointment that came with that World Cup campaign. At the same time, I think they all realise that once they’ve had a bit of a break, which they are obviously in the middle of now, the best way of moving ahead is to get playing again.
“It’s great news for us. They recognise the excitement around the place at the moment in terms of what Connacht are doing and they are desperate to play their part in that as well.”
Another player that Wilkins will have to plan without for the next couple of weeks is captain Jack Carty as he suffered a facial injury after coming on against Ospreys.
New signing JJ Hanrahan started impressively at out-half and landed all six kicks before switching to full-back when Carty was introduced in the second half.
But the skipper had to be brought to hospital with a nasty cut to his face and while he wasn’t detained overnight, he looks set to be out of action for a short time.
“He wasn’t there overnight, it was a visit there on Saturday evening and they managed to get him patched up pretty quickly. We’ll have him assessed over the next couple of days and then get a definite on that. It was a nasty cut on the side of his face but I think they did some good work on it, he’ll make as quick a recovery as possible,” added Wilkins.
Connacht are starting this season with three home games and will hope to build on their bright start when they host Glasgow Warriors next Saturday and then play Ulster at the Sportsground the following week.
Both visiting sides have strong coaching connections to Connacht. Former player and assistant coach Nigel Carolan is with Glasgow while Ulster head coach Dan McFarland will return to a ground where he spent 15 years as a player and coach.
“It was super important for us to win and to get a bonus point win at home in front of our fans but also, in that first half at least, to show some glimpses of what we want to be about this season,” added Wilkins.