Mack Hansen 'the one that got away' for Australia as Ireland star is labelled a free spirit
Wallabies coach Laurie Fischer worked with Connacht winger Mack Hansen at the Brumbies and was sorry that the mercurial winger didn't stay in Australia
Mack Hansen is one that got away for the Wallabies, insists Laurie Fischer.
Hansen was at the Brumbies when Fischer was there and there is a tinge of regret in the current Australia assistant coach when the dynamic Connacht winger's name is brought up.
The 26-year-old moved to Galway ahead of the 2021-22 season and made an instant impact. With a Cork-born mother, Hansen was fast-tracked into Andy Farrell's squad and he has made 24 Test appearances since.
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"Yeah, I've stayed in touch a couple of times with Mack, though not on a regular basis," said Fischer. "He might send me a note when he's had one Guinness too many, a little message or something, or a picture. So, yeah!
"He was with the Brumbies with us and we would have loved to have kept him, but he had got an opportunity over here and he's shown what capacity he had.
"I think he just had the freedom to play and be himself over here and maybe felt there was more of a strait-jacket on him at home. He's a free spirit, a wonderfully talented player and given the right environment he's shown what he's capable of producing."
Despite his disappointment that Hansen didn't remain in Australia, Fischer says he is happy for him that he has made such a good career for himself in Ireland.
"Oh, he's definitely one that got away, yeah," he said. "We made a good offer to Mack at the Brumbies but there was no guarantee that he'd start here or play there.
"Yeah, we invested a lot of time in Mack as an 18-year-old coming in through the academy system to develop him to have the capacity then to come here to perform for Connacht and then Ireland.
"So yeah, disappointing to lose him but again you've just got to smile when you see people succeed in whatever environment on the world stage. It's wonderfully rewarding to see a kid who spent four years in our system excel where he's excelling."
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