Mack Hansen has crowd in stitches with reason for British and Irish Lions call

Irish Daily Mirror

08-05-2025

A stunned Mack Hansen had the rugby crowd chuckling away following his unexpected British and Irish Lions call-up debrief.
The Connacht wing wizard was among the 38 players named by boss Andy Farrell for the tour of Australia this summer. And proceedings took a welcome turn when select players from each of the four nations received a video call from the O2 Arena in London to react to the news.
While it's nothing out of the ordinary seeing rugby stars getting emotional about their selection, the addition of real-time reactions certainly added an extra element. And one player in particular had fans rolling with laughter thanks to his response.
Hansen, 27, was found chilling on a beach in Galway when he got the surprise call, explaining that it wasn't even meant to be him on the screen. Instead, it was supposed to be club and international team-mate Bundee Aki on the line, before dad duties called him elsewhere.
"This has been sprung on me. Bundee was meant to do it but he's minding the kids," said the Aussie-born star, leading to a hearty chuckle amongst those in attendance at the London reveal bash.
Hansen also unwittingly turned himself into a sideways spectacle on the O2's giant 30-foot screen. Some folks are just born entertainers, and the Canberra-born finisher falls into that bracket.
The former Brumbies star was clearly overwhelmed by the massive announcement, and he admitted as much. And he joked that head coach Farrell would be chuffed to see him at a loss for words.
"I was just heading for a swim," said Hansen as he popped up on-screen. "I'm lost for words for the first time in my life I'd say, which is good for Faz to hear. It's an incredible... I don't know what to say, honestly."
Farrell, 49, quipped that it was "the other coaches" who decided to give Hansen the green light, not him playing favourites. But it's clear there's a unique bond between the two.
Both hail from overseas but have been perfecting their skills in Ireland, with Farrell being the one to offer Hansen his chance in the team he now calls home. The speedster even has a tattoo of the coach's face on his leg after losing a wager with Johnny Sexton that Ireland wouldn't clinch the Grand Slam in 2023.
Come June, a contingent of 15 players from Ireland will jet off to Australia, with England providing the second-largest group after 13 of their players were selected. These figures could have been different if Leinster's Caelan Doris hadn't sustained a serious injury right before the squad was revealed, having been tipped to also take the captaincy.
Hansen has notched 12 tries in his 28 appearances for Ireland so far, with his latest coming as a double against Fiji during the Autumn Nations series. Despite making three appearances in the 2025 Six Nations, he didn't manage to score as Ireland failed to defend their title.
There was a bit of controversy over Hansen's selection, with some arguing Scotland's Darcy Graham or England's Immanuel Feyi-Waboso were more deserving. However, he's sure to bring value of his own - on and off the pitch - as he looks to prove those critics wrong back in his homeland.