ONE WONDERS WHAT would need to happen over the next few weeks for Andy Farrell to get a tattoo of Mack Hansen…
The winger took the bold decision to get his head coach’s face inked onto his upper right leg over the summer – a big move given the two men only know each other a couple of years. It’s highly unlikely Farrell is going to repay the gesture but if Hansen keeps up his current run of form, he might just be tempted.
Hansen has been a revelation since joining Farrell’s squad and as Ireland powered to an eight-try, 59-16 defeat of Tonga last night, his scintillating display was the latest star turn from a man who is fast becoming one of the most exciting players in Test rugby.
Across a typically energetic and diligent performance, the highlight arrived just after the half hour mark.
After some good work by Ireland to move the ball across the Tonga 22, Garry Ringrose fired a beautiful left-handed pass out wide to the right flank, where Hansen was waiting, but with plenty of work to do. After taking possession, the 25-year-old only had one thing on his mind, putting the head down and cutting infield, dancing past a string of defenders to score an early contender for try of the tournament.
It was a sensational bit of individual play from a winger who often conjures up magic in the opposition 22 – that’s now eight tries in 18 caps – but is much more than just a finisher.
Dan Sheridan / INPHO Ireland's Peter O'Mahony claims a lineout. Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
As Ireland cruised to a second Pool B win, Hansen looked sharp right from the off.
With 10 minutes played, he was alert to take a quick lineout to himself in the Ireland backfield before launching a massive kick downfield, executing a superb 50:22.
And as Farrell’s side began to take control against a spirited (if ill-disciplined) Tonga team, Hansen was a livewire in the Ireland backline, roaming infield and always looking to stay involved, and not only with the fun stuff – getting stuck in with some important work at the breakdown.
It could have even better. His clever hands appeared to spark the move which led to an Andrew Porter try but the score was crossed off for the slightest of knock-ons by Hansen.
By the time Ireland took a 31-13 lead into half-time, Hansen’s contribution had only been eclipsed by that of Johnny Sexton, who scored 16 points to move past Ronan O’Gara as Ireland’s all-time leading points scorer.
Dan Sheridan / INPHO Sexton celebrates his try. Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
The Ireland captain broke the record in style, running in the bonus-point score to cap a very impressive opening 40 from Farrell’s team – Peter O’Mahony late yellow card (Ireland’s first since the third Test against New Zealand last year) and Vaea Fifita’s subsequent try the only real blemish.
Otherwise Ireland looked accurate and fluid in attack, while the lineout was significantly sharper on the back of the issues which carried over from the World Cup warm-up games into last weekend’s opener against Romania.
Hansen provided the standout moment, but Caelan Doris was equally influential, finishing a fine maul try after playing provider for Ireland’s opener, where he took the ball at speed before riding a tackle to play in Tadhg Beirne under the posts. That contribution was a reminder of the punch he can provide to get Ireland on the frontfoot, while he also made some big defensive plays.
With an 18-point lead at the break and with next Saturday’s assignment against the Springboks in mind, Farrell had the luxury of being able to turn to his bench early, and as is so often the case, those changes contributed to a momentary dip in Ireland’s intensity and accuracy.
Laszlo Geczo / INPHO Caelen Doris is tackled by Halaleva Fifita of Tonga. Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO
But against a team like Tonga, who have nowhere near the same depth or resources, Ireland were never going to let their control of the contest slip.
When they needed to lift the momentum around the hour mark, James Lowe came to the fore, while for the second week running Bundee Aki was outstanding, running in two tries to further his case for a starting berth against South Africa.
The 12 shirt is one of the most competitive areas in the Ireland squad but Aki now looks nailed on to start against the defending champions in Paris. At 33, the Connacht centre looks stronger and faster than ever – he finished last night’s game with 19 carries, 10 defenders beaten and two clean breaks.
The second half wasn’t as polished a performance as the first but Farrell will have been delighted to see his side remain in total control – although Tadhg Furlong might be afforded a lighter training load this week after being sent back in for the injured Finlay Bealham, who was forced off with a head injury.
There had been some debate about whether Farrell was right to name such a strong starting XV for the fixture, but when things run this smoothly it’s hard to argue against his line of thinking – just look at some of the stilted performances we’ve seen from teams who have rotated more freely across the early pool games.
Having coasted to victory against both Romania and Tonga, this is where the real work starts. Ireland have been upfront and assertive about their desire to create history at this tournament. So far, there hasn’t been anything to suggest that feat is beyond them.
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