Mack Hansen hits the ground running with a dream debut

Ireland's Mack Hansen. Picture: INPHO/Dan Sheridan

Hanging around clearly isn’t Mack Hansen’s thing.

Six tries in his first nine Connacht games demonstrated an eagerness to hit the ground running on the part of a man who only belatedly turned his full attention to thoughts of embarking on a professional rugby career after a spell as an apprentice electrician.

A first cap for Ireland a mere eight or so months after arriving from his native Australia only accentuated the sense of a guy in a hurry. Then he went and followed all that up by announcing himself as a Test rugby player within a couple of minutes on debut.

There weren’t much more than 60 seconds on the ticker when he grasped at a deflected Johnny Sexton kick and ran from one 22 to the other. The net result was Ireland’s first try, from Bundee Aki, with Hansen himself providing the final, looped pass.

So far so bloody good.

Come the hour he was bursting in off his wing after Andrew Porter ripped the ball from a Welsh mitt, taking the pass at pace, straightening the line, and committing Dan Biggar before releasing Aki into the unclaimed acres beyond.

That ended with Ireland’s bonus-point try.

There was so much more besides but those contributions provided bookends to the pivotal chase for five match points and his eagerness to come in off his wing and look for work both times was everything that Andy Farrell says he wants in his wingers.

“Untidy” is the word the coach uses for that.

Hansen has made the absolute most of his opportunity but he has benefited from an aligning of some stars with it, not least getting that call from Friend and bringing him to a club whose game and culture are tailor-made for his talents.

James Lowe’s injury opened the door for this latest audition and he got to avail of that in an exceptionally strong and close to full strength Ireland side surfing into the Six Nations with the momentum borne of eight straight wins.

So many players get their chances in experimental XVs against weaker opposition. That can be a lose-lose situation. Win easily and it’s to be expected. Struggle and questions are asked about the individual when nascent combinations can be so often the fault.

The sense that this was simply his day was only cemented when the stadium announcer cleared his throat with three minutes to play and, during a break in play, declared that the 23-year’s day had been capped with a nod as man of the match.

Hansen, who was standing on his tramline grabbing a drink, half-turned to the fans nearby and clapped their contribution before resuming his brief. If it looked like he was taking it all in his stride then that’s likely because he was.

“I’ve been really, really impressed,” said Johnny Sexton whose standards serve as the barometer for all the squad. “He’s a good guy, which is the most important thing. He has bedded in really well with the group and his performance speaks for itself.

Ireland's Johnny Sexton and Mack Hansen celebrate winning. Picture: INPHO/Dan Sheridan

“Sometimes guys like himself, I compared him to Lowey a bit in that guys that are so elusive and breaking tackles sometimes don’t shine too much in training too often because we’re often not doing full contact. He broke so many tackles so he’s going to shine in those games and we have seen it for Connacht. He brought that into the international arena and he has a game that’s made for international rugby so hopefully he continues to grow with us. It’s a great start for him.”

Farrell describes a laidback type whose introductory period with the national squad was facilitated by Aki, his Connacht teammate, who put together a congratulatory video from Hansen’s family back home even before the squad had been announced.

The significance of all this goes beyond one man’s journey. Farrell had handed out 23 debuts to players up to Saturday. The bulk of the new foundations have been laid. Only five of the side that started the World Cup defeat to New Zealand in Tokyo, and three from the bench, featured against Wales at the weekend.

That’s a serious turnover but there’s a cliché in sport that says if you’re standing still, then others are passing you out and, while the number of new faces will level off between here and France 2023, new blood is always needed to invigorate the host.

Hansen was one of only two uncapped players named in the wider 37-man Six Nations squad. The other was Michael Lowry who was released back to Ulster for their URC game against Connacht. That the former slotted in so seamlessly is no small thing.

Jamison Gibson-Park, who only made his debut against Italy in October of 2020 and is now first-choice nine, described the latest new boy as a “breath of fresh air” and a “free spirit” who is playing with a contagious confidence.

Farrell deserves some credit for that, not just for the boldness of the choice — he dismissed the suggestion picking Hansen was a gamble — but in fostering the environment that allowed Hansen play his game on the big stage.

“He said something to me that really stuck with me,” said Hansen. “He said, ‘If you can’t be yourself, there’s no point putting on the jersey’. When Andy says something like that, it sticks with you. Just go out there and enjoy yourself, that’s all you do at the end of the day.”

Enjoyment hangs on any number of interlocking mechanisms.

Rugby is far more fun when you’re eating up ground instead of rocking back on your heels. That goes for a tighthead prop as much as anyone out on the periphery and a different test of Hansen and Ireland awaits in Saint-Denis next Saturday evening.

The match stats showed the Canberra man made 149 metres with ball in hand and only had to make one tackle. Louis Rees-Zammit, his opposite number, managed only 33 but did have to kick for 176 and could only complete half of his six tackles.

Hansen’s one logged tackle came on the approach to the half-hour mark when he took a less than fully fit Rees-Zammit down and, in the process, dislodged the ball and nipped what could have been a breakaway in the bud. A good day.