Mack Hansen hopes to be back playing for Connacht at the end of the season and make it onto the Irish travelling squad for the team’s two-Test tour to South Africa this summer. The Irish right wing is halfway through his rehab after dislocating his shoulder in Connacht’s 22-9 win over Munster in the United Rugby Championship on New Year’s Day.
He subsequently underwent surgery and had screws inserted to stabilise the joint. The injury insured Hansen missed the entire Six Nations Championship, his first long injury out since he earned the first of his 21 caps in the 2022 Six Nations.
“Yeah, so I was just going for a poach and …I was just getting cleaned out. It was a freak accident,” said Hansen. “There was nothing too out of the ordinary that happened, kind of the angle the guy came in it was just unlucky more than anything.
“There was no malicious intent or anything like that involved with it. He left a message afterwards seeing how I was and all that. Yeah, it was just one of those things. And then ended up getting the Latarjet [anterior shoulder stabilisation procedure]. So, a couple of screws in there and I’ve been told the shoulder is as good as the bone and can’t be moved again so fingers crossed.”
A try rate of almost one every two matches with nine so far, Hansen’s scoring has been missed by Ireland but also too his playmaking ability. He expects it will be two more months before he can become competitive again, which should give enough time to meet his goal. Ireland plays the Springboks in the first match of the tour on July 6th in Pretoria with the second taking place in Kings Park, Durban on July 13th.
“It’s been a bit of a pain, not gonna lie,” said the 25-year-old. “Obviously I’d like to be in contention for the Six Nations this year, watching how good the guys have been doing as well, hasn’t made it easier.
“Yeah, just [get] back with Connacht, get a couple of games together and then if I can play well in that, hopefully make the tour. But I just want to start playing footy again really, I’m not thinking too far ahead. So in my mind I’ve just got a couple more months and then things are back to normal sort of.”
Hansen had a similar injury when he was playing in Australia for The Brumbies before arriving to Ireland.
Mack Hansen was speaking after being announced as the Irish ambassador for this year’s Wings for Life World Run
