Duncan Casey: Champagne Ireland now taking all the right risks
DIVING IN: Mack Hansen of Ireland scores his side's second try during the Bank of Ireland Nations Series match between Ireland and South Africa at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile
A couple of years ago, it would have been hard for anyone to imagine an Irish team scoring a try like Mack Hansen did in the 50th minute of Saturday evening’s win over South Africa. A touchline to touchline move that saw the ball moving through the hands of 10 players in the space of 15 seconds (including six forwards) and a textbook example of how to punish turnover ball.
The Irish camp probably won’t like me saying they looked like France here but as far as I’m concerned, the more they look like France with ball in hand, the better. Hansen’s try was the perfect illustration of how far Ireland have come under Andy Farrell and the confidence his players have in taking risks in search of reward.
