After Twickenham breather, free spirit Hansen ready to fit right in all over again

Connacht's Australian-born winger has blazed a remarkable trail since arriving in Ireland. A watching brief against England gave him time to reflect and refocus.

Have boots, now travelling: Mack Hansen is seeing the world his own way — as an international sensation.  Pic: Inpho/Billy Stickland

None of this was part of Mack Hansen’s plan, loose and light on detail as it was. His Cork-born mother provided him with a passport to spread his wings and pitch up on Ireland’s west coast but the intention was to use it as more of a starting point for his travels through the prism of rugby.

That’s all changed. To say Hansen has hit the ground running is to do a rough justice to his first season here. Any thoughts he held on arrival in Ireland about adding more clubs and more countries to his CV have been parked as his career has taken off and he contemplates a fourth cap for his adopted country against Scotland today.