Mack Hansen may find himself in hot water with URC disciplinary chiefs for his strong criticism of ref Chris Busby and other match officials after Connacht's loss to Leinster on Saturday night.
Fired-up Ireland winger Hansen also complained about the way Connacht are refereed in general after the 20-12 defeat at the Aviva Stadium.
Connacht skipper Cian Prendergast had expressed his frustration to Busby during the first half that two incidents weren't referred to the TMO - Jordie Barrett making contact with Bundee Aki's head as he cleared a ruck and then a hit on Josh Ioane that resulted in the out-half having to go off.
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Hansen didn't hold back in post-match comments that went viral. "To be honest, it felt like we were getting reffed out of the game for the first 40 minutes, pretty much," said the 26-year-old. "Then, we were able to do our thing. We were able to show the exciting rugby that we play.
"We're not a team for excuses, but that's what I feel. I feel like the first bit we were getting pressured from what seemed like 16 men against us instead of 15, to be honest to you."
He added: "I feel like we get this every week. We never get any calls, ever. I've been feeling this for years now. Like, you can't possibly tell me yourselves sitting there, like checking the Gus McCarthy one, how much? How much did they check that? Ten, 11 times?
"Bundee gets a direct hit to the head, it's quite obvious, no call, doesn't care. It's like we get that every time. People will say we are an inconsistent team but Jesus Christ, when you're getting some of the calls we're getting like, of course, you're going to be."
Hansen's comments could result in a ban or a fine for the player. When he was Dragons' head coach, Bernard Jackman was slapped with a two-game suspension by the Welsh Rugby Union in 2018 for criticising a referee. The URC states that: "Players criticizing referees is addressed under the Misconduct section of the Disciplinary Rules.
"Specifically, clause 3.3.13 states that making comments (including on social media) that attack, disparage, or criticize the sport of rugby union, the Championship, other Clubs or Persons, match officials, Pro Rugby Championship, one or more of the Unions, and/or any sponsor or other commercial partner of the Championship or Pro Rugby Championship constitutes Misconduct. This includes criticizing referees. Such actions can lead to disciplinary proceedings and potential sanctions.”
Despite their extensive efforts, Connacht left Dublin without a losing bonus point and the westerners will host Ulster on Saturday. “It's an incredibly important game,” said Pete Wilkins, who added that he will outline any concerns he has with the officiating through official channels.
“It is about finding a balance for us (and dealing with) that nagging frustration and ‘what if’ that we will carry out of this game and bring back along the motorway.
“For us, it's important that we don’t let go of that and that, while we might have run out of minutes (against Leinster), we pick up where we left off and unload some of that frustration on our next opponents.
“That said, we also can’t spend half of the next week processing, we have to get over it pretty quickly because we train Monday and Tuesday, a couple of days for Christmas and then in for a captain’s run.
“As I said to the players there, remember that frustration. We certainly don’t lack for fire in the belly in those contests with Ulster and nor do they in return. We can’t feel sorry for ourselves.”
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