Andy Farrell keen for ‘natural footballer’ Mack Hansen to just keep on trucking

When Mack Hansen landed into Irish rugby during the summer, the odds on him making his debut in Ireland’s opening game of the Six Nations would, for sure, have been considerable.

Despite playing 21 Super Rugby games for the Brumbies and being Irish qualified through his Cork-born mum, Hansen would have appeared a relative long shot, and perhaps more so for having joined Connacht rather than one of the other provinces.

But the versatile 23-year-old immediately lit up the Sportsground with that stunning 50-metre solo try against the Bulls on his home debut and, continuing in that vein, he was called into the Irish squad during the autumn series.

With their Australian connections, Andy Friend and David Nucifora, as well as Andy Farrell, would have identified Hansen as a viable option for Ireland’s World Cup squad, not least as he can kick goals, play at outhalf, fullback and the wing, where he has excelled for Connacht.

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Farrell and Mike Catt also like wingers whose involvements are high. At Connacht, Hansen has been afforded a roving role and has often been used as a strike runner in their impressive array of well-oiled launch plays.

In nine games for Connacht he has scored six tries, and in his eight URC appearances he leads the competition in defenders beaten (38), total metres made (556) and is third in the amount of carries (90).

“He is a smart rugby player,” said Farrell yesterday. “He has got all the skill, he is nice and calm in his manner on the field as well. He tends to be really chilled, sees pictures nice and early because he is ahead of the game.”

Doubters will question his defence, primarily based on Dan Sheehan stepping him at the RDS in early December, but Sheehan can do that to anyone. More flawed was the slow retreat and charge down against Munster at the Sportsground for Andrew Conway’s try, but he atoned with a couple of try-saving tackles and has made several good defensive reads, not least with an intercept try against Ulster. He also has huge scope for further improvement.

“Look, it is his first cap, of course there will be things he will get wrong and we will assess that and build through the competition with him,” added Farrell. “He is a natural footballer. He has played quite a lot of rugby as a 15; maybe something we will look at down the line with him as well.

“He has played quite a bit at 10 and he is deceptively quick as well. So we’re excited to get Mack up and running.”

Quick, with good footwork, Hansen also has X factor.

“He makes things happen, he knows how to give himself involved in the game,” said Farrell. “He’s got a great feel and a good skillset across the board. It’s tough when you come into international camps but the ones that hit the ground running and end up getting a good few caps straight away are the guys that are able to pick things up and Mack has certainly done that.”

Granted, Hansen has replaced the injured James Lowe, whose initial selection on the Irish team was also questioned, and not only by the Little Irelanders out there.

But Hansen is not a project player and his birthplace should matter even less in a country with such a history of emigration and a diaspora which has been afforded new careers and lives abroad – Ian McKinley in Italy springing to mind.

His mum, Diana O’Shea, whose family moved to Australia at the age of seven, hails from Cork, and her dad played hurling. His dad, Craig, is from Sydney, where Hansen was born before the family moved to Canberra when he was young. His dad played prop and did some coaching with Manly.

Having played in all eight games of an abbreviated Australian Super Rugby, by the time head coach Dan McKellar approached Hansen about re-signing he’d already agreed to join Connacht.

“That was a little bit awkward but I think he understood. We’ve got a Wallabies back three and I wanted to play more footy. I wanted a chance to show what I could do,” Hansen told The Irish Times in October.

Being Irish-qualified was another attraction to the move. “If that opportunity came up, it would be pretty hard to turn down.”

Despite the time difference, his gran, Bettie, also hasn’t missed a match he’s played and come the 1.15am kick-off time, it will be a proud and lively night in one Canberra household.