MACK HANSEN ADMITS all of this is going a little bit better than he ever really expected. He’s just signed a new contract with the IRFU and Connacht, stepping up to a central deal for the first time, having established himself as a key member of the Ireland starting XV.
He’s made a new life here and for the next two years, Hansen is going nowhere. A few weeks short of his 27th birthday, Hansen is heading into the peak years of his career and there’s a comfort in knowing his bags won’t have to be packed anytime soon.
When the Australian arrived on these shores back in 2021, he simply hoped to enjoy his rugby while maybe playing his way into the international picture. A more likely outcome, in his mind, was he would soak up the experience of life in Ireland before heading off on his next adventure. As it happened, that step into the unknown made him a household name around the rugby world.
“I remember thinking coming to Galway that I was going to be living in a hut somewhere, that my lights were going to be candles and stuff like that, like I had no clue what I was coming into to be honest with you!”
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Hansen speaking to the media in Abbotstown yesterday. Rory Barker / INPHO
Rory Barker / INPHO / INPHO
“My whole thought coming over here was that my mum was born here, I had family and stuff here, and as I said at the time I didn’t really think that much was happening for me at Brum (Brumbies) so I was literally coming over here to have a bit of fun and then if I played well and something else came up, say France, Japan, whatever it was, that I was just going to keep moving on doing that just from what my career was at Brums at the time.”
His Irish roots are in the south of the country, with Hansen’s mother, Diana, leaving the East Cork town of Castlemartyr around 50 years ago.
“I knew I had a bit of Irish heritage behind me which helped me get over here but no, I never could have believed that I’d be where I am now,” he says.
“Not that I didn’t have aspirations to be playing for Ireland, I did, but I just never thought I was going to get there, like my whole thinking was yeah, come over and have a bit of craic and I think it worked in my favour, if anything.”
To date Hansen has been capped 27 times for Ireland, scoring 12 tries in the process. A lively, hard-working winger, it’s no surprise to hear there was some interest from overseas before he penned the new deal.
“A little bit of chat here and there, it was always my preference to stay here and try and kick on to the next World Cup. I think anyone would be mad to not take that opportunity with this team and I reckon, hopefully, do a special thing in the next World Cup. Obviously plenty before that but it’s always my intention to stay here and keep kicking on with this team.
“At the end of the day, like, I love coming up here (to Ireland camp),” he continues.
Over here is my new home and playing in this team means more to me than almost anything in my life.
“So I just want to try and help out where I can. That’s my thoughts on re-signing, I just want to be involved, pretty much, as much as I can, and help out.”
A few weeks ago Aled Walters, Ireland’s head of athletic performance, name-checked Hansen when asked about the stand-out athletes in the squad. Likening Hansen to Keith Earls – who Walters worked with at Munster – he highlighted the Connacht player’s ability to smoothly change direction at speed, before pointing to his high work rate off the ball.
Speaking to the media in Abbotstown yesterday Hansen played down Walters’ words of praise, but pointed to his early days playing out-half as something which has stood to him all these years later.
“I’d say he’s just talking me up to be honest, I’m probably one of the slowest on the team! Ah look, I think it’s something, I’ve played a good few positions here and there. Coming up I was a 10 pretty much my whole career, then 15 and wing, so I think from being in the middle, when you see a hole you’re able to change direction to attack it.
Hansen signing Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
“I was doing that my whole career and just bringing that into being a winger I think has helped, especially my ability to play off the ball and everything, just kind of seeing the game a bit different. It’s something that, yeah, I’ve definitely had to build up, but now it’s just something that’s in my game.”
Those formative years were spent at Canberra’s Daramalan College, the Gungahlin Eagles and the Canberra Vikings, before Hansen went pro at the Brumbies, making 21 appearances for the Super Rugby side. He looks at the free-flowing France team Ireland are preparing to face in Dublin this weekend and is reminded of his Super Rugby days back home.
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“I was actually just talking about this today. I remember when, say we were playing a New Zealand team, I was sort of in the 2′s team, so they’d get us to play like that team was gonna play – and they were some of the most fun weeks of my life, when we were playing like the Crusaders and the Chiefs and we’d be tearing up the first team and we were wondering ‘Why don’t we just play like this all the time?’”
France are the maestros when it comes to attacking rugby but Ireland can play a bit themselves, as Hansen is quick to stress. Like Fabien Galthie’s men, this Ireland team are encouraged to be brave on the ball regardless of the number on your back. That licence to play is just one of the many facets that makes Saturday’s match-up at the Aviva Stadium such a tantalising prospect.
“That’s the great thing about our team, and I think it’s actually been shown a lot as well with the sort of moves that we’ve been designing. You find a lot of the time our forwards are actually the ones that are being ball-players in the moves and the stuff that we’re creating a lot of these tries and spaces.
“There’s just so much freedom to express yourself on the field, and that comes from the top down, coaches always saying they want us to be ourselves. That gives you a good bit of confidence going into the game knowing that if you do mess up, it’s not the end of the world, especially if you’re actually trying something new. It’s never frowned upon in this environment.”
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'Playing in this team means more to me than almost anything in my life'
MACK HANSEN ADMITS all of this is going a little bit better than he ever really expected. He’s just signed a new contract with the IRFU and Connacht, stepping up to a central deal for the first time, having established himself as a key member of the Ireland starting XV.
He’s made a new life here and for the next two years, Hansen is going nowhere. A few weeks short of his 27th birthday, Hansen is heading into the peak years of his career and there’s a comfort in knowing his bags won’t have to be packed anytime soon.
When the Australian arrived on these shores back in 2021, he simply hoped to enjoy his rugby while maybe playing his way into the international picture. A more likely outcome, in his mind, was he would soak up the experience of life in Ireland before heading off on his next adventure. As it happened, that step into the unknown made him a household name around the rugby world.
“I remember thinking coming to Galway that I was going to be living in a hut somewhere, that my lights were going to be candles and stuff like that, like I had no clue what I was coming into to be honest with you!”
“My whole thought coming over here was that my mum was born here, I had family and stuff here, and as I said at the time I didn’t really think that much was happening for me at Brum (Brumbies) so I was literally coming over here to have a bit of fun and then if I played well and something else came up, say France, Japan, whatever it was, that I was just going to keep moving on doing that just from what my career was at Brums at the time.”
His Irish roots are in the south of the country, with Hansen’s mother, Diana, leaving the East Cork town of Castlemartyr around 50 years ago.
“I knew I had a bit of Irish heritage behind me which helped me get over here but no, I never could have believed that I’d be where I am now,” he says.
“Not that I didn’t have aspirations to be playing for Ireland, I did, but I just never thought I was going to get there, like my whole thinking was yeah, come over and have a bit of craic and I think it worked in my favour, if anything.”
To date Hansen has been capped 27 times for Ireland, scoring 12 tries in the process. A lively, hard-working winger, it’s no surprise to hear there was some interest from overseas before he penned the new deal.
“A little bit of chat here and there, it was always my preference to stay here and try and kick on to the next World Cup. I think anyone would be mad to not take that opportunity with this team and I reckon, hopefully, do a special thing in the next World Cup. Obviously plenty before that but it’s always my intention to stay here and keep kicking on with this team.
“At the end of the day, like, I love coming up here (to Ireland camp),” he continues.
“So I just want to try and help out where I can. That’s my thoughts on re-signing, I just want to be involved, pretty much, as much as I can, and help out.”
A few weeks ago Aled Walters, Ireland’s head of athletic performance, name-checked Hansen when asked about the stand-out athletes in the squad. Likening Hansen to Keith Earls – who Walters worked with at Munster – he highlighted the Connacht player’s ability to smoothly change direction at speed, before pointing to his high work rate off the ball.
Speaking to the media in Abbotstown yesterday Hansen played down Walters’ words of praise, but pointed to his early days playing out-half as something which has stood to him all these years later.
“I’d say he’s just talking me up to be honest, I’m probably one of the slowest on the team! Ah look, I think it’s something, I’ve played a good few positions here and there. Coming up I was a 10 pretty much my whole career, then 15 and wing, so I think from being in the middle, when you see a hole you’re able to change direction to attack it.
“I was doing that my whole career and just bringing that into being a winger I think has helped, especially my ability to play off the ball and everything, just kind of seeing the game a bit different. It’s something that, yeah, I’ve definitely had to build up, but now it’s just something that’s in my game.”
Those formative years were spent at Canberra’s Daramalan College, the Gungahlin Eagles and the Canberra Vikings, before Hansen went pro at the Brumbies, making 21 appearances for the Super Rugby side. He looks at the free-flowing France team Ireland are preparing to face in Dublin this weekend and is reminded of his Super Rugby days back home.
“I was actually just talking about this today. I remember when, say we were playing a New Zealand team, I was sort of in the 2′s team, so they’d get us to play like that team was gonna play – and they were some of the most fun weeks of my life, when we were playing like the Crusaders and the Chiefs and we’d be tearing up the first team and we were wondering ‘Why don’t we just play like this all the time?’”
France are the maestros when it comes to attacking rugby but Ireland can play a bit themselves, as Hansen is quick to stress. Like Fabien Galthie’s men, this Ireland team are encouraged to be brave on the ball regardless of the number on your back. That licence to play is just one of the many facets that makes Saturday’s match-up at the Aviva Stadium such a tantalising prospect.
“That’s the great thing about our team, and I think it’s actually been shown a lot as well with the sort of moves that we’ve been designing. You find a lot of the time our forwards are actually the ones that are being ball-players in the moves and the stuff that we’re creating a lot of these tries and spaces.
“There’s just so much freedom to express yourself on the field, and that comes from the top down, coaches always saying they want us to be ourselves. That gives you a good bit of confidence going into the game knowing that if you do mess up, it’s not the end of the world, especially if you’re actually trying something new. It’s never frowned upon in this environment.”
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