MackHansen

Mack Hansen will return to the country of his birth as a British & Irish Lion after being selected for the 2025 Tour of Australia.

The Canberra-born winger, who credits the 2013 Tour with making him realise ‘there is a whole other world to rugby’, will return to his homeland with the Lions after opting to represent Ireland, for whom he is eligible through his mother, who hails from Cork.

Hansen was a schoolboy star Down Under for Daramalan College and was brought straight into the Brumbies academy following high school.

He went on to play for Australia Under-20s and made his debut for the Canberra outfit in 2019 against the Waratahs.

After a couple of successful seasons in Australia's capital, Hansen received a phone call from Andy Friend, a Canberra native who was coaching Connacht. Within a matter of weeks, Hansen was upping sticks and moving to Galway, where he was instantly at home.

The winger was a breakout star at Dexcom Stadium and won Connacht's Player of the Year award for 2022. His success in the URC earned him a call-up from Farrell for Ireland's 2022 Six Nations squad and Hansen won Player of the Match on debut following a standout display against Wales.

After helping Ireland win the Triple Crown and finish second, he was nominated for World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year in 2022 and has gone from strength to strength since.

In his 28 caps, the winger has scored an impressive 12 tries and helped his country to Grand Slam glory in 2023 – after which he followed through on a promise to get a tattoo of Farrell.

Hansen is known for his ability to float off his wing and bring others into the game due to his brilliant game knowledge.

"He is a smart rugby player," said Farrell. "He has got all the skills, he is nice and calm in his manner on the field as well. He tends to be really chilled, sees pictures nice and early because he is ahead of the game."