'It is a bit of a pinch-me moment' - Mack Hansen delight at Lions selection to face hometown club Brumbies

Irish Examiner

5 days ago

Mack Hansen described his selection to face hometown club the Brumbies on Wednesday as a 'pinch-me moment', yet British & Irish Lions boss Andy Farrell believes he and the rest of the squad could still be involved to face Australia 10 days later and insisted Test places were still up for grabs.
Head coach Farrell named his strongest team yet to face ACT Brumbies in Canberra on Wednesday, confirming the expectation he would field a side close to the Test team which will face the Wallabies in Brisbane in the first Test on July 19.
There are just two tour games remaining for the Lions before Farrell names his 23 for the opening rubber of a three-game Test series and his selection for the Brumbies was the clearest indication yet of his thinking on the matter.
With the Lions set to field a back three of full-back Blair Kinghorn, James Lowe and Hansen's rival for the right-wing berth Tommy Freeman, Hansen will have to settle for the number 23 jersey as an outside back replacement.
That gives the Connacht hero the chance to play against the Super Rugby side he represented for three seasons before moving to Galway in 2021, making his Test debut the following year having qualified for Ireland through his Cork-born mother.
He still has many friends in the Brumbies camp and as 15-year-old stood on the terraces to watch his side defeat the 2013 Brumbies. Now the wing gets to pull on the famous red jersey against his hometown heroes.
'It is incredible, it is a bit of a pinch-me moment, not in my wildest dreams could I imagine I would be back here playing for the Lions, it is very special,' Hansen said following Monday's team announcement.
Yet sitting beside him at the team hotel in downtown Canberra, Farrell insisted non-selection for Wednesday's starting line-up did not mean the closing of the book on the make up of his team to face Australia.
'I understand the speculation but the truth of the matter is we have got a good side that is going to take the field on Wednesday. I will tell you what I said to the team, there is always going to be speculation but it is up to people to put their best foot forward for a Test spot from now on in with regards to the chance they have got on Wednesday and on Saturday.
'Players can play themselves in and players can play themselves out but we are looking for a cohesive team performance and that is what we are trying to achieve.
'The nature of the format of these two games allows for us to be open minded and again we play on Saturday (against an Australia/New Zealand Invitational XV) after this and have four weeks' worth of training and that everyone is used to anyway so you have to stay open minded. A closed book is not good for anyone.'
Of the other notable combinations being sent out by the Lions on Wednesday, Maro Itoje captain at lock in a second-row partnership alongside Ireland's Joe McCarthy, while England loosehead prop Ellis Genge forms a front row with Irish duo Dan Sheehan at hooker and Tadhg Furlong at tighthead and scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park partners fly-half Finn Russell at half-back.
Farrell will not back himself into a corner by calling this his first Test team and an all-Irish centre partnership of Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose appears to be the latest midfield combination up for audition, while the back row sees Tom Curry start at openside flanker for the first time on this tour with hybrid lock/flanker Ollie Chessum on the blindside with Jack Conan at No.8.
The rest of the squad will be assured Test places remain up for grabs across the next two games and Wednesday night's bench, with Hansen on a replacements bench alongside half-backs Alex Mitchell and Marcus Smith. Andrew Porter, Ronan Kelleher and Will Stuart is the back-up front-rower while Josh van der Flier and a fit-again Henry Pollock will provide the heft.
The Brumbies, coached by Stephen Larkham, will be missing eight of their Wallabies for their big night at GIO Stadium but back row Tom Hooper has been released by Joe Schmidt to face the Lions and could play alongside 21-year-old younger brother Lachie Hooper for the first time as professionals if the latter is sprung from the bench.
BRUMBIES: A Muirhead; B O'Donnell, O Sapsford, D Feliuai, C Toole; D Meredith, R Lonergan – captain; L Ieli, L Lonergan, R van Nek; L Shaw, C Neville; T Hooper, R Scott, T Taii Tualima.
Replacements: L Bowron, C Orr, F Fotuaika, L Hooper, L Reimer, H Goddard, J Debreczini, H Creighton.
BRITISH & IRISH LIONS: B Kinghorn; T Freeman, G Ringrose, B Aki, J Lowe; F Russell, J Gibson-Park; E Genge, D Sheehan, T Furlong; M Itoje – captain, J McCarthy; O Chessum, T Curry, J Conan.
Replacements: R Kelleher, A Porter, W Stuart, J van der Flier, H Pollock, A Mitchell, M Smith, M Hansen.