BLACK MARK
Mack Hansen brutally trolls New Zealand stars with WAGs dig as Ireland winger says rematch ‘will have a bit of feeling’
Asked about the prospect of facing the All Blacks once again, Mack Hansen made his feelings clear
MACK HANSEN accused New Zealand of 'letting their girlfriends do their fighting' after knocking Ireland out of the World Cup.
The All Blacks condemned Andy Farrell's team to yet another quarter-final exit with a dramatic win last October.
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It was a contest the came with it a lot of heat and rivalry, with Ireland going into the game on the back of a famous series win in New Zealand in 2022.
The tensions during the game carried over into the aftermath of the game, with Rieko Ioane involved in a heated exchange with Johnny Sexton, whose final game it was before retirement.
The All Blacks centre subsequently posted a cryptic photo on Instagram with his finger on his lips, a gesture he was alleged to have made towards Irish fans.
Meanwhile, Brodie Retallick was reported to have told Peter O'Mahony: "Oi Peter, four more years, you f***wit."
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And during an appearance on the 'What A Lad' podcast, the 32-year-old lock confirmed that he had said exactly that.
He laughed: "I said what was reported."
It sets the stage for a fascinating rematch as part of New Zealand's northern hemisphere tour which is set to get underway on November 2 against England.
Asked about the prospect of facing the All Blacks once again, Connacht and Ireland winger Mack Hansen made his feelings clear.
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He said: "There’s going to be a bit of feeling in that New Zealand game.
"Especially with the way things ended after the [World Cup] game, with a bit of trash-talk from both sides, here and there.
All Blacks star Jordie Barrett reveals family connection to Ireland after signing for Leinster
"Mostly, it was from the New Zealand side, and their WAGs, you know?
"Fair play – letting their girlfriends do their fighting for them!"
Hansen is nearing a return from a dislocated shoulder which kept him out of Ireland's Six Nations campaign.
His next taste of international action could be the summer, when the Boys in Green face the Springboks on July 6 and 13.
Four months later, on November 9, will see Hansen and co. play against the All Blacks, which could feature Jordie Barrett whom Hansen will also face at club level.
RAISING THE BARR
The 57-times capped international will join Leinster in December 2024 until the end of the 2024/25 campaign.
His signing came amid a hectic week for Leo Cullen's men, who were also boosted by Dan Sheehan signing an IRFU deal with Jamison Gibson-Park set to follow suit.
Those signatures will bring the number of Leinster players on central contracts to 10, more than all of Connacht, Munster, and Ulster combined.
The odds being tilted ever more in Leinster’s favour has attracted a lot of comment and criticism with the IRFU expected to take a fresh look at it.
But, despite being with Connacht, long regarded as the poor relation of the four provinces, Hansen has no complaints.
Hansen said: “Look, my thinking on it is, if you’ve got the cash and can, why wouldn’t you? If we could, we’d sign him but we can’t unfortunately.
“I know there is a little of a stink people are kicking up with Sheeno going onto a central but he’s earned that central contract.
“It’s not like they’re just giving it to him because he’s a good bloke or anything like that. He’s a s**t bloke!
“He’s come through the Leinster pathways and he’s the best hooker in the world at the moment so it was just a matter of time before he was on that sort of thing.
“They just had to work out a way to free up a bit of space to make those signings. It’s just the way it is. If you can do that, you want to get the best and strongest squad possible.
“No one’s got a real problem with the French teams doing it, I don’t know why everyone is blowing up about an Irish team.
“It’s easy to complain but which one of the guys that are on central contracts would you take of? I wouldn’t take any of them off.
“Everyone who has them has earned them and deserves them. Every team would want to have more of those guys spread out but that’s just the way it is.
“They’ve all come through there and they all deserve them so there’s nothing else you can really do about it.”