Friend hails signing of Irish-qualified Hansen from the Brumbies

Just over a month after confirming contract extensions for 21 of this year’s squad, Connacht Rugby has announced the capture of a utility back from Australia who is Irish qualified through his mother.

The province yesterday unveiled Mackenzie (Mack) Hansen (23) from Super Rugby side the Brumbies as a new signing for the 2021/22 season on a two-year deal, and will link up with the squad pre-season training later in the summer.

Hansen, who has played full-back, on the wing, or as an out-half, represented Australia at the U-20 World Cup in 2018, scoring a try in the 26-21 Pool A loss to Wales, and in the 54-19 Pool A win over Japan on the way to Australia finishing 5th in the tournament, having failed to come out of a Pool that was topped by New Zealand.

However, he has not played senior international rugby and, as his mother is from Cork, he is eligible to declare for Ireland.

He joins Connacht after playing in all eight games for the Canberra-based Brumbies as they finished second in the table in their 2021 Super Rugby AU campaign, the Australian branch of the traditional southern hemisphere Super Rugby tournament which was regionalised due to Covid-19.

The Brumbies wrapped up their regular season with a 26-20 win over Melbourne’s Rebels last weekend, leaving them with six wins, their only two losses coming against table-toppers, the Brisbane-based Queensland Reds, who ran out 40-38 and 24-22 winners in the two meetings between the sides.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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