Off the back of having “smoke blown up their arse”, Mack Hansen believes the Wallabies will come out “all guns blazing” against Ireland on Sunday (7am AEDT).
While many are writing the Wallabies off, with former Australian captain Stirling Mortlock declaring his former side have no chance of next year’s World Cup, Hansen is fully aware of the threat his home nation poses.
After all, it was only 18 months ago he was living in Canberra with then-Brumbies teammate Nick Frost.
But after former Brumbies coach Andy Friend saw something in Hansen, the Junior Wallabies star took a leap of faith and signed with Connacht, hoping a sea change would bring a change of fortune.
As Hansen said, “He (Friend) took a good gamble on me. When he first got onto me, I wasn’t playing too much. I think he just… I guess Connacht just give blokes a crack and hoping they can kick on.”
And kick on Hansen has, with the 24-year-old one of four nominees for World Rugby rookie of the year.
From earning player of the match on debut to plucking the ball out of the sky like a thief in the night against Les Bleus at the Stade de France, Hansen has looked at ease on the big stage.
It’s no wonder he brushed away any concerns of stage fright against Australia this weekend.
“I’m just going to take it like any other game,” he said.
“If I buy into the story too much … and try and make myself bigger than the game, that’s when things are just going to go wrong.
“I’m part of an unbelievable Irish team that’s playing good footy … it’s going to be interesting going up against some of my old pals, but yeah, it’s just another game and I’m going to treat it that way as well. “
As clichéd as it sounds, Hansen is far from the usual rugby player.
He’s a free spirit, a “loveable character” according to Nic White, and someone who says what he thinks with little thought on consequences.
Take, for instance, his response to what he thought was a question about what he would do if wasn’t a rugby player.
“A dog walker or something,” he said.
“There’s some good cash in that. Some of my mates are on Go Dog at the moment making some bank, so there is always something to fall back on.”
His thoughts on his brief career as an electrician?
“No, I was a terrible electrician! It wasn’t for me,” he said. “No, no I’ve no idea. I’m lucky enough not to think about it, to be honest.”
The Wallabies’ chances of getting under his skin?
“Ah, they can’t sledge for s**t!” he quipped.
“Whitey will be chirpy like always but the rest of them aren’t very witty or smart!”
But beyond the dry humour, Hansen knows a response from the Wallabies is coming, believing they are more dangerous as wounded animals.
“It does. If they came in undefeated there would be a lot of pressure on them coming up against us with talk of the whole grand slam and stuff like that,” he said.
“They are such a dangerous team as it is.
“Last week just wasn’t their week but they have such world-class players that, having lost that, they’re definitely going to have blown smoke up their arse and they will be coming out with all guns blazing. We know that and we’re ready for that. It’s going to be a cracking game.”
While his former coach Dan McKellar admitted there was an element of “what if” around their match-up against Hansen, the former Brumby said he had no second thoughts about facing the nation of his birth.
“Since I made my decision there have been no thoughts of back-tracking at all. I’m very happy where I am,” he said.
“I guess you could think what would have been with anything, so no, the decision to play for Ireland has been the best decision of my career and my life.
“I’m loving it over here and enjoying it.
“I haven’t had too many thoughts about that, to be honest.
“It is still nice to hear from your peers and people back home, but not once have I been upset or kind of thought ‘what if’, if I stayed there or made the move.”
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
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