Joe Schmidt: 'Mack Hansen was probably the best Australian on the pitch'

The Canberra native struck for a first-half hat-trick against the Wallabies on Saturday night.

Australia's Head Coach Joe Schmidt and Ireland's Caelan Doris after the game. Pic: INPHO/Gary Carr

Australian rugby has long had reason to rue the loss to Ireland of Canberra-born and bred Mack Hansen, all the more so after the Connacht man claimed a 27-minute, first-half hat-trick against his native country in Dublin on Saturday night.

Wallaby coach Joe Schmkidt put it perfectly after.

“Yeah, I thought he was super. His experience showed to the fore, there’s probably a bit of a lack of experience in our back three. There’s probably only 30-odd caps between the three of them.

“[He] knows the game well. He’s got good support though. James Lowe and Tommy O’Brien is an excellent player as well. Unfortunately Mack was probably the standout Australian player on the field.

“He’s got a great skillset and he’s such a great competitor. He got into the aerial contest really well, he covered the backfield really well, and those are the aspects of a full-back that you need to have.” Schmidt was fronting up to the media after a tenth loss in a long 14-game season but he felt that the 46-19 scoreline was “exaggerated somewhat” and that, at 22-14 deep into the second-half, the game was still there for the taking.

“When we had that five-metre lineout we just couldn’t quite get the execution and accuracy right even though there was some good pressure by Ireland. They had 70% possession and territory in that second-half so they controlled the flow of the game, the space in behind and the aerial battle.” 

Schmidt had asked the Aussie public to keep the faith seven days before when they lost to Italy in Udine and he repeated that message here while explaining again the need to be competitive in the here and now while building strength in depth for down the line.

He highlighted the team’s inability to close strongly of late and how that contrasts with some exceptionally strong finishes in the Rugby Championship. That’s the mark of a team that is clearly running on close to empty.

One more game awaits before they can down tools. Unfortunately, that’s a date with France in Paris next week. How, the former Ireland head coach was asked, can they hope to rouse themselves for one more gargantuan tussle?

“I can try to add my experience and chat to the group. I’ve had some really good experience at the Stade de France. I’ve huge respect for Les Bleus but also for our players and that they will be as prepared as they possibly can for next week.

“Sixty minutes in it was 22-14 and I honestly believe if people write us off… We were written off before the Lions, we were written off before going to South Africa. I know we didn’t do ourselves justice in that second-half.

“At half-time we had fought our way back into the game. I’m confident that we can still fight our way into that contest next week.”