LAST UPDATE | 7 Jan

CONNACHT HEAD COACH Pete Wilkins said he was unaware Mack Hansen was going to launch a broadside at referees when he sat down beside him at the post-match press conference following their loss to Leinster at the Aviva Stadium last month.

Wilkins said he had no inkling that the Irish winger was going to launch stinging criticism of match officials, an outburst which sees Hansen facing misconduct charges when he goes before an independent disciplinary committee tomorrow morning.

“No. It was a normal press conference walking into it,” said Wilkins. “I’d come straight from a radio interview, I think. So, no awareness that was on the cards. But the hearing is tomorrow, so it’d be great to put things to bed after that.”

Wilkins defended Hansen in the aftermath of his comments and said he hopes the Irish international gets ‘a fair hearing’ tomorrow.

“Obviously, the hearing tomorrow, I want to make sure I don’t say anything that’s going to swing anything either way,” added Wilkins.

“I think one of the values of rugby has been the respect for referees, obviously in the professional era, it becomes more complicated.

“So look, if there’s been a conversation started in the public or the media, so be it. I don’t think that was Mack’s intention. But, look, we’ll just see how tomorrow goes and hopefully have a fair hearing and we’ll take it from there.”

Connacht were beaten 20-12 at Aviva Stadium on 21 December and after the game Hansen hit out at perceived bias from URC match officials against Connacht, claiming the western province “never get any calls.”

After saying Connacht were “getting pressured from what seemed like 16 men against us instead of 15”, the winger highlighted two incidents from the game – a tackle from Connacht out-half Josh Ioane on Gus McCarthy which was subject to a lengthy review with no card, and a potential high shot from Jordie Barrett on Bundee Aki which which was not reviewed.

Hansen added that he felt inconsistent officiating has been ongoing issue for the province.

“I’m not making excuses by any means but when you just get it week after week, I feel it’s got to be spoken about because it’s just getting to the point where it’s starting to really piss us off because we just feel we’re getting played out of games and we never ever get any calls,” he said.

In the post-match press conference, Hansen had interrupted a question for Connacht head coach Pete Wilkins to further express his view. Wilkins has since been in contact with URC head of match officials Tappe Henning to discuss the context around the comments.

However Hansen is now facing the prospect of disciplinary action due to a potential breach of URC rules around ‘misconduct.’

URC tournament law 3.3.13 outlines ‘misconduct; as “making comments (including, without limitation, to representatives of the media and/or on social networking platforms or sites such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram or similar) that attack, disparage or criticise (and/or conducting it/ himself/herself in a way that attacks, disparages or criticises) the sport of rugby union, the Championship, other Clubs or Persons, match officials, Pro Rugby Championship, one or more of the Unions and/or any sponsor or other commercial partner of the Championship or Pro Rugby Championship.”

Connacht take on Lyon and Cardiff in the Challenge Cup over the next two weekends before a URC clash with Glasgow Warriors. Ireland then open their Six Nations campaign at home to England on 1 February.

- Additional reporting by Ciaran Kennedy