Connacht are still waiting to hear of any fallout from Mack Hansen’s criticism of refereeing inconsistency following Saturday’s loss to Leinster.
Head coach Pete Wilkins is taking a “wait and see” approach after the Ireland international took the post-match press conference by surprise in questioning the standard of refereeing in Connacht’s 20-12 loss.
“We’ve not heard anything at this stage from the URC. If something comes down the line later in the week, we’ll wait and see,” said Wilkins.
However, the Connacht head coach confirmed he contacted URC head of referees, Tappe Henning, after Hansen’s comments.
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“We’ve got a really constructive relationship with Tappe in terms of talking about ourselves and talking about referees and the game in general. So I spoke to Tappe then to let him know that the press conference had taken place, and some of the comments.
“We also talked about the game, and different elements of the game that will remain between us. So you know, what happens after that? I don’t know. But the important thing is that we’ve got communication channels open, and we’ll see.
“I knew there would be a reaction in the media, so I wanted to make sure he was aware. We were in contact again on Sunday. So it’s to make sure the relationship is there so we can talk honestly to each other.”
Wilkins says there are questions about whether players should be able to talk publicly as they can in other sports.
“It’s a challenging one, because all games, all sports, are crying out for referees. And you know, they need and deserve our support at the same time. In the professional game, it’s making sure all elements, all aspects of those involved are accountable and hopefully continuing to grow, including ourselves as coaches.”
However, Wilkins believes players should be able to highlight their concerns.
“I think what was really important is [Hansen] was talking about how it feels as a player on the field in games like that. He wasn’t saying Chris Busby is a poor referee or the TMO doesn’t know what he’s doing. He’s saying this is what it feels like to us.”
Wilkins says no one can really question how he felt in that moment and the intensity of that time.
“The great thing about Mack and why we love him, is that he speaks from the heart as he plays, and you get that sort of honesty.”
And Wilkins says Hansen’s comments were related to how it feels as a player, or as the players on field, and in terms of the momentum, flow of decisions, or absence of decisions at times.
“So you know, he spoke honestly about what it feels like when you’re in that arena. And, yeah, I guess for me, all I can do is go through the channels that are available, which is to provide that feedback, which we’re in the process of doing.”
Wilkins also believes there is a “decent degree of accountability” from referees, and greater scrutiny.
Connacht now face Ulster on Saturday in Galway, and the good news is the availability of Jack Carty, with Josh Ioane likely to be ruled out due to concussion protocols. Meanwhile JJ Hanrahan, although unavailable, has returned to integrated training.
On Monday, Connacht also announced that they will play their URC fixture against Munster on Saturday, March 29th at MacHale Park in Castlebar, the home of Mayo GAA
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