'It’s a great system' - No complaints from Hansen on spread of IRFU's central contracts

The Connacht man would love to step up his deal.

Pictured at the announcement of Bank of Ireland's sponsorship extension were Connacht Rugby’s Mack Hansen, Byron Ralston and Ava Ryder, Ulster Rugby’s Jacob Stockdale, Rob Herring and Abby Moyles, Munster Rugby’s Kate Flannery, John Ryan and Paddy Patterson and Leinster Rugby’s Jamison Gibson-Park, Josh van der Flier, Aimee Clarke. Pic: INPHO/Dan Sheridan

Mack Hansen would love a central contract from the IRFU but he bears no ill will towards those Ireland team-mates currently in possession of one as debate rages over their Leinster-centric allocation from the governing body.

Hooker Dan Sheehan became the latest player to have his salary taken off the Leinster payroll and moved onto a central deal, signing a two-year IRFU contract which was announced last Monday to run until the summer of 2026.

With Munster duo Peter O’Mahony, the Ireland captain, and Conor Murray moving off central contracts and signing provincial deals for next season, only three non-Leinster players are understood to have salaries directly paid by Lansdowne Road: Bundee Aki at Connacht, Munster’s Tadhg Beirne and Ulster’s Iain Henderson; while nine Leinster players are now in possession of central deals with scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park expected to become a 10th in the near future.

The argument is that the current distribution of central deals means Leinster are best placed to attract world-class overseas stars on big provincial contracts, as evidenced by their signings of All Blacks utility back Jordie Barrett on a six-month deal from next December, double World Cup-winning lock RG Snyman from Munster.

Yet Connacht and Ireland wing Hansen would not deny any of the IRFU recipients their due, and speaking on Wednesday as Bank of Ireland announced it was extending its sponsorship deal with all four provinces by another five years, he described the centralised IRFU model as the envy of world rugby.

“It’s easy to complain about one but which one of the guys that are on central contracts would you take off?,” Hansen said.

“I wouldn’t take any of them off. Everyone who has them has earned them and deserves them. Every team would want to have more of those guys spread out but that’s just the way it is. They’ve all come through there and they all deserve them so there’s nothing else you can really do about it.

“It’s a great system. I think it’s a really smart way, the way they’ve nailed it. You look at the way that clubs do it in Australia, Rugby Australia kind of tops them up but it doesn’t really give them as much of an incentive, especially with the tax back and stuff here in Ireland as well.

“I think they’ve just nailed it. I think the system is just the best I’ve seen for sure at keeping players like this. So many guys stay because it just makes more sense. That’s the only way Irish rugby is going to get stronger and stronger, if you keep going. I don’t have a problem with the way anything is set up. I think it’s actually set up in a genius way.

The Australian-born, Irish-qualified back's current Connacht deal, signed when he joined from the Brumbies in 2021 and extended for another two years last summer, is up at the end of this season. Yet Hansen, 26, is not banking on getting one of the treasured IRFU deals any time soon.

“I wish. I don’t know if there is any going for any wingers. We’ll wait and see.” 

Hansen has more pressing concerns right now. He missed Ireland’s successful Six Nations title defence having dislocated his shoulder against Munster on January 1 and though he was delighted to return to Connacht training yesterday, he could still not offer a possible return to play date.

Nor was he taking a place on the plane for Ireland’s summer tour to South Africa for granted, adding: “I just want to get back and play for Connacht, play well, make finals and then if I’m doing well in that I’ll make it into the squad.

“Going there, I know I’m not just going to be walking back into the team. There are so many wingers that are playing really good footy at the moment. First focus for sure is getting back for Connacht, play well, make finals, win the URC and go from there. Yeah it’s on my mind but the URC is definitely at the front of it.”