IRELAND HEAD COACH Andy Farrell has hit out at rumours that suggested Mack Hansen had been left out of the initial matchday 23 for last weekend’s World Cup opener against Romania due to disciplinary reasons.
Hansen ended up being part of the squad after Robbie Henshaw was forced to withdraw with a hamstring complaint and the Connacht wing made his World Cup debut off the bench.
After the game, Hansen was picture joking with Farrell in a manner that suggested reports of a possible disciplinary breach were well wide of the mark. The photos were also a reminder that Hansen has a tattoo of Farrell’s face on his right thigh.
Hansen has been named in Ireland’s starting team for this weekend’s clash with Tonga and Farrell took the opportunity to dismiss the speculation.
“Where the hell did all that come from?” said Farrell in Nantes today.
“Left out of the 23? No.
“We wanted to give someone else a game, as simple as that. And case in point, actually, as far as everyone being ready to go, it’s exactly the same this weekend.
“So if Robbie pulls up on Friday and Mack is covering three different positions off the bench and did superbly for that, that’s the type of thing that needs to happen within a World Cup.
“Mack’s up next so you can ask him the question as well was he a naughty boy, he definitely wasn’t!”
Hansen was put up for interview following his head coach’s press conference and was accompanied by experienced Ireland back row Peter O’Mahony, who took issue with Hansen being asked about last week’s speculation.
“Did Andy not just answer a question about this a second ago?” interjected a clearly frustrated O’Mahony, before Ireland’s media officer said it was unfair to ask Hansen.
But the man himself couldn’t resist having a bit of a laugh.
“We had a five-minute tiff, whatever and we’re fine now, so it’s all good!” said Hansen with a smile, clearly joking.
The 25-year-old has become a hugely popular figure in the Ireland squad since making his debut last year and O’Mahony was happier to discuss the impact Hansen has had.
“According to you, he’s been nothing but trouble,” said O’Mahony. “He’s been a breath of fresh air. An incredible character, good person. We talk about it a lot, the squad that we have and how important that is to fit in and straight away we knew he was a top man.
“A character but above it all he’s an incredible athlete and one of the world’s best wingers at the moment, which is a great addition to add to the squad. But as I said, the overriding factor is that he’s a good person and he’s seamlessly fitted into our squad like everyone else has. He’s been great craic and you need characters like that.
“The beauty of the game of rugby is the different characters you get and we’d be lost without guys like this. Tours like this are made for being incredibly serious, and obviously our jobs and everything that goes with it, but the craic that fellas like this bring make it a great place to be.”
Hansen’s rise has been meteoric since he arrived at Connacht from the Brumbies in his native Australia and now he’s set for his first start in a World Cup against Tonga.
A few of his close friends from back home have travelled to France to support him and Hansen said they’re enjoying the trip.
“It’s tough getting Snapchats of them smoking vapes and drinking beers at 12 in the morning while I’m trying to prepare for a game but it’s good craic, it’s good fun to see and it will be good to catch up with them,” said Hansen.
“I guess it’s actually been nice getting that aspect outside of playing and seeing what a World Cup means to people. People have been planning for this for the last four years and to see everybody really enjoying themselves is great.”
Last weekend, Hansen attracted plenty of attention by giving his shorts away to an Ireland fan after the win against Romania, having already swapped jerseys with a Romanian player.
The sight of him out on the pitch in just his boots, socks, and boxers certainly made head coach Farrell laugh.
“I’m not the first person to take their shorts off after a game,” said Hansen. “I doubt I’ll be the last. I’ve been told to keep them on this week.
“I’ll try my hardest, I’ll see how I’m feeling.”