HOW MANY GUESSES would you have needed to correctly identify the Ireland player taking to the pitch wearing two odd boots last night? If you didn’t immediately go for the man who once shaved Keith Earls’ initials into his head and has Andy Farrell’s face tattooed on his body, we’d love to know your line of thinking.
Mack Hansen doesn’t need any help to stand out, and yet there he was preparing to make his return from injury against the Wallabies, warming up with a black boot on his left foot, a white one on his right. (Would Eddie O’Sullivan have found the half and half approach more palatable?)
There was nothing black and white about the performance which followed, with Hansen central to the most vibrant outing from Andy Farrell’s Ireland this month.
Even after playing so little rugby due to a foot injury which disrupted his summer and crept into the new season, Hansen did what he does for his teams. He added life, made things happen, put his mark on the occasion and left the crowd on their feet.
A view of the Aviva Stadium as the players take to the field. Nick Elliott / INPHO
Nick Elliott / INPHO / INPHO
The Connacht player had two tries to his name inside 10 minutes and had extended that to a hat-trick before the 30-minute mark. Sure, he’ll probably need sharper footwork to negotiate his way down Shop Street to do the Christmas shopping, but there’s a skill to being in the right place at the right time.
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Hansen linked well and stepped in at first receiver, adding a different dimension to Ireland’s attack. For his first Test start at 15, it was a fine audition to play the same role when the Springboks hit the stage in Dublin.
Yet how different an experience that promises to be next weekend. Rassie Erasmus’ side are sure to offer a sterner test than Joe Schmidt’s tired, travel-weary Wallabies, and so Hansen can expect to be busier without the ball next time out. He dealt with a few tricky moments in defence well but will anticipate a more thorough examination against the back-to-back world champions.
Ireland do at least look to be finding their rhythm ahead of that Boks showdown, but they’ll still have come away from last night’s 46-19 win feeling they have a few loose threads to snip.
While the attack put together some lovely passages of play in the first half, it took a while to find the same accuracy after the break – waiting 42 minutes between tries three and four. At one point Sam Prendergast decided enough was enough and notched the first drop goal of his career. A smart decision from a player waltzing around the pitch full of confidence.
This might have been Prendergast’s best outing for Ireland yet. The out-half made a telling contribution to Ireland’s smart start, with fingerprints on all three of Hansen’s tries. He settled into his first start of this window by forcing a turnover tackle on James O’Connor and measuring one lovely kick into the backfield, which Max Jorgenson failed to deal with.
Sam Prendergast kicked a smart drop goal. Nick Elliott / INPHO
Nick Elliott / INPHO / INPHO
Jack Crowley would love to have been working with the same front-foot ball across his starts against New Zealand and Japan. We wait to see how Farrell weighs up those two options this week and Prendergast’s few slipped tackles here might be the decisive factor considering what’s coming down the line. Not to single Prendergast out, as he wasn’t alone in that particular shortcoming.
You don’t survive those moments against South Africa, and you certainly don’t get away with the discipline problems which crept into Ireland’s game in the opening 40. They finished with nine penalties to their name but most of those came in the first half.
And as pleasing as their best moments were in that first period, they should have been in an even stronger position come the break. Australia deserve credit for keeping themselves in the contest but Ireland have to be disappointed with the manner of the Wallabies’ two first-half tries, which both came from the visitors winning collisions and bursting through Irish defenders.
The next team in the away dressing room will be licking their lips at that sight. We can also assume the Springboks won’t fade in the way the Wallabies did. Or leave the same gaps which allowed Hansen slip through for his scores. Or lose six lineouts.
But the saying goes you can only play what’s in front of you, and last night was the first time Ireland have looked their old selves all month. Clinical, confident and able to problem-solve. Ireland’s discipline was an issue in the first half but they cleaned it up in the second. The attack dipped after Hansen’s hat-trick but came to life again with three tries in the closing 11 minutes. Offloads stuck. The bench came in and lifted the momentum. The lineout and scrum ran at 100%, with Ryan Baird having a big say in the air and Paddy McCarthy holding firm in the front row.
The fans left feeling good about what they saw. So too the players, who soaked up the celebrations. Farrell has appeared distracted in recent press conference but sat through this one with a smile on his face.
The biggest week of Ireland’s November starts here. These are the weeks they live for. Maybe they’ve timed their run just right.
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Hansen adds life to Ireland's attack but a more thorough test awaits
HOW MANY GUESSES would you have needed to correctly identify the Ireland player taking to the pitch wearing two odd boots last night? If you didn’t immediately go for the man who once shaved Keith Earls’ initials into his head and has Andy Farrell’s face tattooed on his body, we’d love to know your line of thinking.
Mack Hansen doesn’t need any help to stand out, and yet there he was preparing to make his return from injury against the Wallabies, warming up with a black boot on his left foot, a white one on his right. (Would Eddie O’Sullivan have found the half and half approach more palatable?)
There was nothing black and white about the performance which followed, with Hansen central to the most vibrant outing from Andy Farrell’s Ireland this month.
Even after playing so little rugby due to a foot injury which disrupted his summer and crept into the new season, Hansen did what he does for his teams. He added life, made things happen, put his mark on the occasion and left the crowd on their feet.
The Connacht player had two tries to his name inside 10 minutes and had extended that to a hat-trick before the 30-minute mark. Sure, he’ll probably need sharper footwork to negotiate his way down Shop Street to do the Christmas shopping, but there’s a skill to being in the right place at the right time.
Hansen linked well and stepped in at first receiver, adding a different dimension to Ireland’s attack. For his first Test start at 15, it was a fine audition to play the same role when the Springboks hit the stage in Dublin.
Yet how different an experience that promises to be next weekend. Rassie Erasmus’ side are sure to offer a sterner test than Joe Schmidt’s tired, travel-weary Wallabies, and so Hansen can expect to be busier without the ball next time out. He dealt with a few tricky moments in defence well but will anticipate a more thorough examination against the back-to-back world champions.
Ireland do at least look to be finding their rhythm ahead of that Boks showdown, but they’ll still have come away from last night’s 46-19 win feeling they have a few loose threads to snip.
While the attack put together some lovely passages of play in the first half, it took a while to find the same accuracy after the break – waiting 42 minutes between tries three and four. At one point Sam Prendergast decided enough was enough and notched the first drop goal of his career. A smart decision from a player waltzing around the pitch full of confidence.
This might have been Prendergast’s best outing for Ireland yet. The out-half made a telling contribution to Ireland’s smart start, with fingerprints on all three of Hansen’s tries. He settled into his first start of this window by forcing a turnover tackle on James O’Connor and measuring one lovely kick into the backfield, which Max Jorgenson failed to deal with.
Jack Crowley would love to have been working with the same front-foot ball across his starts against New Zealand and Japan. We wait to see how Farrell weighs up those two options this week and Prendergast’s few slipped tackles here might be the decisive factor considering what’s coming down the line. Not to single Prendergast out, as he wasn’t alone in that particular shortcoming.
You don’t survive those moments against South Africa, and you certainly don’t get away with the discipline problems which crept into Ireland’s game in the opening 40. They finished with nine penalties to their name but most of those came in the first half.
And as pleasing as their best moments were in that first period, they should have been in an even stronger position come the break. Australia deserve credit for keeping themselves in the contest but Ireland have to be disappointed with the manner of the Wallabies’ two first-half tries, which both came from the visitors winning collisions and bursting through Irish defenders.
The next team in the away dressing room will be licking their lips at that sight. We can also assume the Springboks won’t fade in the way the Wallabies did. Or leave the same gaps which allowed Hansen slip through for his scores. Or lose six lineouts.
But the saying goes you can only play what’s in front of you, and last night was the first time Ireland have looked their old selves all month. Clinical, confident and able to problem-solve. Ireland’s discipline was an issue in the first half but they cleaned it up in the second. The attack dipped after Hansen’s hat-trick but came to life again with three tries in the closing 11 minutes. Offloads stuck. The bench came in and lifted the momentum. The lineout and scrum ran at 100%, with Ryan Baird having a big say in the air and Paddy McCarthy holding firm in the front row.
The fans left feeling good about what they saw. So too the players, who soaked up the celebrations. Farrell has appeared distracted in recent press conference but sat through this one with a smile on his face.
The biggest week of Ireland’s November starts here. These are the weeks they live for. Maybe they’ve timed their run just right.
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