Mack Hansen will be taking a trip down memory lane when he heads on Tour to Australia with The British & Irish Lions.
Born and raised Down Under, Hansen – whose mother hails from Cork – has excelled in a green jersey in recent years and looks well set to make an impact in a red one.
His link with head coach Andy Farrell is quite literally forged in ink and Hansen is likely to provide excellent value on and off the field this summer.
INKED IN
If there is one thing to know about Mack Hansen, it’s that he is certainly a man of his word.
As Ireland toasted the 2023 Six Nations Grand Slam, the fourth in their history but the first to be sealed in Dublin, captain Johnny Sexton casually reminded Hansen of a bold promise he had made on the eve of the tournament.
The winger insisted he would get a tattoo of coach Andy Farrell, on his thigh of all places, should the men in green go unbeaten.
Three Hansen tries and five Ireland wins later and Hansen had no choice but to have the burly Wiganer permanently inked to the top of his right leg.
The result might be unusual, and indeed it might not be pretty, but without doubt it’s metaphor for Hansen’s position in a Farrell team since he first broke into the Ireland set-up: permanent.
The pair are reunited in Australia this summer, which begs the question, what will Hansen do should Farrell lead the Lions to a first series win in 12 years.
“Faz is probably one of the best coaches of all time,” he said. “But I’m not making any more risky promises.
“I can definitely think of worse people to have on my leg, so it’s not too bad. When Andy found out about it, he said I wouldn’t be allowed back into camp if I didn’t have it done.
“I’m a man of my word, I said I would get it and so I did.”
Perhaps worryingly, it’s not the only strange tattoo Hansen has – or, even, the only face tattoo he has on his thigh.
Just along from Farrell is the face of Oisin Dowling, a Connacht teammate and former housemate, while he even has the name of Gerry Dooley, the father of another club teammate, Peter Dooley, scrawled in small font.
“That’s one that I’ll probably look back on in a few years and think “ah, what was I thinking?” he once said.
THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY?
Hansen will be a popular tourist, and not only for his punchy pledges.
His mother may be from Cork and he might play in Galway, but his Australian upbringing also shows – he is laidback, down-to-earth and has an immense sense of fun.
Indeed, if he and Farrell ever fall out, he’s vowed to add glasses to the infamous tattoo.
However, the chances of that appear to be somewhere between unlikely to non-existent.
As Farrell sat on the stage at the O2 Arena after his squad had just been announced, host Lee McKenzie announced she was cutting live to Hansen for some instant reaction.
“You can’t be serious,” quipped Farrell, with a nod to the winger’s flamboyant personality and unpredictability.
His selection was always beyond doubt and there will be plenty inside the opposing corridors of power who will rue him as the one who got away.
Hansen, born in Canberra, was an emerging star in the Aussie system and seen by many as the heir apparent to the great fly-half Stephen Larkham, who won the World Cup in 1999.
The pair share the same elegant running style, the ability to drift past tacklers and even the same head gear. Hansen is also a pretty handy goal-kicker when required.
But the Brumbies, where Hansen started his career, preferred him on the wing and he didn’t quite get the gametime he perhaps deserved.
MOVE TO IRELAND
Connacht, sensing an opportunity, came calling in 2021 and dangled the carrot of a route into the Ireland Test team. The rest is history.
"I've just been incredibly lucky, to be honest,” he said.
"I couldn't have asked for anything more than I have had in the last couple of years. It's just been a bit of a bonus for me. I came over just backing myself to play footy and I am just enjoying it.
"I am enjoying the whole ride and that is all I can really do. I know it is not going to last forever but while I'm in it at the moment, it has just been great. It has been unbelievable. I am still pinching myself most days. I am very lucky.
“Honestly, getting selected was the most emotional I have been in my life.
“I started crying straight away and rang my parents, I got my phone out to call them and enjoy the moment.”
Hansen was thrust into the Ireland side within a year of arriving at Connacht and made his debut in the 2022 Six Nations against Wales.
He is a template Farrell player. A hard-worker but with natural flair and enough self-belief to take risks but the intelligence to keep them calculated.
Since his international debut, the 6ft 2in back has racked up 28 caps, 12 tries, three Triple Crowns, a series win in New Zealand, two Six Nations titles and that 2023 Grand Slam.
However, the road has not always been smooth.
MOVEMBER MOTIVE
Remarkably candid about his mental health, last year Hansen revealed he suffers with depression and his trademark annual Movember moustache is designed to keep the conversation about men’s mental health at the forefront of society.
“I guess I dealt with some mental health issues myself,” he told the Irish Independent last year.
“I’ve been living with it since I was about 19 or 20. Depression is something I’ve had to deal with, and live with, for a long time. I’ve been lucky, though. I’ve found a way that helps me to deal with it and to recognise when something is brewing.
“I’d love for more people to know that there’s a way to get through those tough times and that, if they are struggling, they can reach out and get some help.”
LIVING THE DREAM
The Lions Tour will bring his rugby journey full circle.
It was during the Lions’ 2013 tour to Australia that a 15-year-old Hansen became convinced he could make it. Gangly but scrawny, he was inspired by another hat-wearing back.
“Leigh Halfpenny was one of my favourite players for a long time,” he added.
“I was quite a skinny kid growing up and he was a bit smaller and not the usual full-back you’d see. I was taller and skinny, and he’s short, but you look at him and you really think he’s an incredible player who punched above his weight all the time.
“I don’t think he missed a single kick, he was consistent all the time and never let anyone down.”
Hansen is not backwards in stating his ambition for the Tour.
He wants to be part of the Test side, though admits it won’t be easy considering the calibre of back-three players Farrell has chosen.
His Ireland teammate and opposite winger James Lowe is among the favourites to start, while Tommy Freeman is England’s player of the year and Duhan van der Merwe is Scotland’s all-time top try-scorer. Add in the versatile Elliot Daly and it’s a stacked room.
“Everyone in that back three is unbelievable,” he added. “It’s a cliché answer but there are a lot of things those guys have in their game that I don’t, so it will be good to pick their brains a little bit, pick up what they do and then get to play with them, instead of play against them.”
So long as he doesn’t wager anymore tattoos with those coaching him, he should be fine.
