LONG READ Mack Hansen: 'The All Blacks let their girlfriends do their fighting for them!'

Mack Hansen has had his fill of corporate glad-handing and coal-raking with journalists these past eight months, since the inimitable Ireland wing suffered what he described as the worst injury of his career.

In the closing minutes of a New Year’s Day clash with Munster which his Connacht side would go on to win, Hansen went for a breakdown poach and John Hodnett cleared him out, with some force. He suffered a ‘pretty excruciating’ shoulder dislocation and has not played since.

Many of the game’s best players must account for extra corporate and media appearances on the road back from long-term injury. At times, Hansen must feel he has talked himself out. Once he gets going, though, he is always a fascinating and engaging interviewee.

Four years after Covid-19 tipped Super Rugby on its head and helped set in motion a chain of events that led to one of Australia’s best backline prospects lining up for Ireland, he went into 2024 with bounding ambition. The previous year he had won a Grand Slam, helped his province to the United Rugby Championship semi-finals, then embarked on his first World Cup experience.

In March, as Ireland’s Six Nations drew to a close, Hansen was still hoping to get back by the business end of the season. He was in good form as he lavished praise on Bundee Aki, Damian Penaud and spoke of how “monumental” Keith Earls was in helping him settle into international rugby. Our chat came soon after a comment piece in the English press that questioned how suitable it was for the likes of James Lowe and Duhan van der Merwe to line out for Ireland and Scotland.

“Everyone’s entitled to their opinion,” Hansen began, “but I thought it was just a pretty stupid comment. Like, to say James Lowe is as Irish as a Shamrock Shake? Lowey has lived for a good amount of years here. He’s had a kid here, and has done so much.

“This isn’t just him – this is Jamo (Gibson-Park), this is Bundee, Finlay (Bealham). This is me, it’s everyone… I’m sure it’s the same in all the other places. They give absolutely everything to this country, on the field, but also off the field, as well. A lot of those guys are doing plenty of stuff with charities and helping around.

It was a stupid comment when [the journalist] obviously has no idea the amount of pleasure these guys bring to this country and what they do for it.

“I think that’s why people have taken to them as well, because they’re not only good people on the field but off the field. Everyone’s just really bought into it themselves.

“It was a stupid comment,” Hansen added, “when [the journalist] obviously has no idea on the amount of pleasure these guys bring to this country and what they do for it.”

Like Lowe, Hansen has proved a tonic for rugby reporters in Ireland and beyond. Neither came up through the provincial ranks and neither is imbued with that traditional Irish sporting mentality of trying to get through an interview by saying as little as possible. Lowe was the headline-grabber when he first arrived at Leinster but has settled somewhat. Hansen is still out there, speaking his mind, slagging team-mates, crooning karaoke tunes and taking in the local tipples.

“Look, it’s an ‘I am what I am’ sort of thing,” he reasoned. “I was never going to change who I was. It was part of the reason how I got over here, and why I’ve been successful. I’ve been able to express myself on the rugby field, and if I’m comfortable off the field, that makes things a lot easier.

“There are some big characters in that (Ireland) team, that’s for sure. It’s tough, because you find when a lot of people just relax or be themselves, people or the media kick up a stink, straight away. A lot of people say they want to see someone’s true colours but when that happens, they may go, ‘Oh, you can’t say that, and you can’t say this’. But the longer we go on, I think you’ll have more people just being themselves.

“As a whole, though, we really shouldn’t care too much about the outside noise. The people that know you, know you well. No matter what, you’re always going to have haters. If we can keep in mind what everyone is going through, a lot more people will shine through. I’m telling you, there’s plenty more characters in that Irish squad.”

My next catch-up with Hansen occurred a month later, when he was up in Dublin for a sponsorship announcement. The big chat that week was Leinster signing Jordie Barrett for a big chunk of next season, adding him to the RG Snyman capture.

“Looking at it from a Connacht point of view,” he observed, “I know we’d jump at signing Jordie, if we had the chance. It’s no fault to Leinster. If you’ve got the cash and you can sign players like that, go for it. It’s great for them and will be great for Irish rugby. He’ll bring in a lot of crowds. On the other hand, he’s the type of guy you’d hate to play against. He’s well-rounded and is one of those players in the world that pretty much has everything. It’s exciting and it also sucks, at the same time.”

There’s going to be some feeling in that one, especially the way the quarter-final ended, with a bit of trash talk from both sides, here and there.

Then came a moment which makes Hansen who he is. He was pondering the prospect of the summer series against South Africa when he looked further out on the calendar, to the All Blacks’ November visit to Dublin. “Then we go into New Zealand,” he began. There was a slight pause as the cogs worked, and he gauged how far he should go.

“There’s going to be some feeling in that one, especially the way the quarter-final ended, with a bit of trash talk from both sides, here and there. Mostly, it was from the New Zealand side, and their WAGs [wives and girlfriends], you know. Fair play – letting their girlfriends do their fighting for them! We’re excited for all that. Then we have Australia coming over, and all these other top teams. Mate, it’s going to be fun. We’ll find out where we are at.”

If Rassie Erasmus can sell some tickets for the Springboks’ home stands, Hansen does a fine job for the Irish cause.

Our most recent chat took place in Galway, as Hansen arrived at The Huntsman Inn after wrapping a Canterbury shoot. This was his last official duty of the day and the 26-year-old took a seat, cap covering his bleached blonde hair, and spoke with a determination in his voice I had not heard before. Ireland’s past seven Tests have shown very few players have firm ownership of their starting jerseys. Down in South Africa, captain Peter O’Mahony was benched for the deciding Test while Jamie Osborne made Hugo Keenan watch as he performed nervelessly in the full-back role. It was in this jersey Hansen played his final three Connacht matches before the injury struck him down.

We are heading into a British and Irish Lions season, with Farrell leading the tourists Down Under at the end of another long slog. Having taken a shine to George North and Leigh Halfpenny when they toured Australia with the Lions in 2013, I ask what it would mean to wear that famous red jersey in his home country.

“I’d be speechless to be involved,” Hansen begins, before taking a beat and focusing on the immediate goals. “Genuinely, even talking about it now and using a massive cliché, I’m not too worried about it as I’m just looking at getting back playing footy and trying to get my spot back in the Ireland team. Calvin (Nash) was great in the Six Nations and definitely earned us some points in that squad. So it’s not like I’m thinking, ‘I’m back, I’m good, and I’m just going to walk into the team’.

“My main focus is actually getting back in the squad, first of all. Then I’ll be going up against guys like Jacob Stockdale, Jimmy (O’Brien), Jordan Larmour, Calvin. There are so many good guys that can play on the wing, like Rob Baloucoune. The list can go on and on. My sole purpose will be getting back in that Ireland squad, before I think about Lions tours, or anything like that. I’ll throw James Lowe in there, too. Sorry, Lowey!”

Connacht are well into their pre-season preparations, with a couple of social outings arranged to make up for the gym sessions and training ground shuttles. If Hansen is unleashed from the get-go, it will still be almost nine months since he last took the field for a fully loaded crack.

“We genuinely think we have a great squad,” he declares. “We know it. We’ve got unreal players. I’m not making any excuses, we weren’t good enough last year. We had a good few injuries and stuff didn’t go our way. The year before that, we made the top four and almost managed to make another final. We’re very capable of winning it all over again. I truly, truly believe that.

“I haven’t done a full pre-season for a good couple of years but it is great being in there. There is such a good feeling in the camp. We know people are going to underestimate us and maybe see us as an easy game. That’s great – they can do that all they like. We’ve talked about it. We don’t care about what anyone else thinks. We’re going to make it really s**t to play against us, wherever we are.

“I’m chomping at the bit to get playing rugby again. The end is in sight.”

The time for talking is almost, almost over.