Mack Hansen was born and raised in Australia but, despite playing age grade rugby, never represented the Wallabies and so led to a move to Ireland, which means he’ll play against his homeland for the Lions
You’d be forgiven for thinking that a player who got their head coach’s face tattooed on them was a teacher’s pet, but not in this case. British and Irish Lions star Mack Hansen honoured a bet to get the Wigan legend inked on his leg.
Farrell has had a profound impact on Hansen’s career. He saw quality in the Connacht winger and picked him for Ireland, beginning a sequence of events that meant Hansen, who is Australian born, will now play against the Wallabies this summer.
When fit the Ireland back three has picked itself. Hansen on one wing, James Lowe on the other and Hugo Keenan and fullback. All three men are on tour and they helped Ireland achieve the Grand Slam back in the 2023 Six Nations.
The Irish were firmly on the rise. They’d beaten New Zealand in their own backyard only months earlier and Hansen, who already boasts a number of tattoos, claimed he’d get Farrell inked on him if Ireland won all five games.
“Johnny Sexton seemed to remember about the tattoo the whole way through the Six Nations and kind of reminded me towards the end,” he told the Evening Standard. “I’m a man of my word, I said I would get it and so I did.
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Andy’s done great stuff for this team and for Irish rugby, on and off the pitch. I can definitely think of worse people to have on my leg, so it’s not too bad.”
Farrell has become adopted by the Irish such has been his impact on their rugby scene. Those exploits saw him land the Lions job and among his 38-man squad are a number of players who would be wearing the Australian shirt this summer had things gone differently.
Hansen was a Wallaby at U20 level and came through the ranks with the Brumbies. The Canberra-based outfit are currently the country’s top performing side, but they were willing to shop Hansen about. There were no takers.
And so he left Australia to take up a deal with Connacht in 2021. Within a year he debuted for Ireland given he was eligible through his Cork-born mother and the rest, as they say, is history. Hansen has come up with numerous viral moments, including some accidental explicits during very raw interviews. He’s become one of the most likeable players on the planet – and one of the most relatable.
Ireland’s gain has certainly been Australia’s loss. They had Hansen in their talent pool but a lack of recognition sent him halfway across the world to Galway, where he has earned iconic status.
Former Wallaby midfielder Morgan Turinui insists the Ireland – and now Lions – winger would never have got a look in had he stayed in his homeland. “I don’t think he would have got picked here,” he previously said on Stan Sport’s Between Two Posts podcast.
“That’s the stupidity of it. He wasn’t anywhere near it, really. Like the chat was that the Brumbies had their succession plan. They went to the other Super (Rugby) teams – his management, whatever – said, ‘Who wants him?’ No one wanted him. “And he was a good footballer, but good football didn’t stand out, whatever, you couldn’t have picked him – well, I wouldn’t have picked him to be this good at international level.”
The last time the Lions headed to Australia was in 2013. It remains their last series victory. During the warm-up games the Brumbies were the only side to down the Lions and Hansen was in the crowd that day but is now in line to make his first Lions outing having been named among the replacements for Friday’s game against Argentina.
He admits he “feel in love with the concept” of what the Lions is. Now he gets the chance to be front and centre as he and his pal Farrell look to end 12 years of frustration.
