Mack Hansen: Connacht wing available for Ireland's Six Nations game with England after three-game ban

Connacht winger Mack Hansen has been handed a three-match ban for comments made about the refereeing in his club’s loss to Leinster. Despite this, he will still be available for Ireland’s Six Nations opener against England.

Hansen stated that the refereeing in his team's 20-12 defeat to Leinster in the United Rugby Championship (URC) at the Aviva Stadium on December 21 made him feel like he was playing against "16 men". An independent disciplinary panel upheld the misconduct charge against Hansen, handing him a six-week ban, with three weeks suspended. This means Hansen will miss Connacht's Challenge Cup matches against Lyon and Cardiff, as well as a URC game against Glasgow, but he will be available for the Six Nations match against England on February 1.

Hansen was charged with breaching nine clauses of the URC’s disciplinary guidelines, including clause 3.3.13, which covers foul play that includes “comments that are unsportsmanlike and/or insulting”. Connacht were also handed a suspended fine of €10,000 (£8,400). The URC said in a statement that Hansen had "largely accepted that his conduct constituted misconduct and had apologised for his behaviour".

The panel met on Wednesday and noted that Hansen had expressed “extreme remorse for his comments and the public attention they have generated”. As part of his punishment, the 26-year-old Australian-born player must apologise to referee Chris Busby and attend “an appropriate course relating to match officials”. Hansen released a statement via Connacht saying he had “let emotions get the better of me” following the Leinster game.

“On reflection, my comments to the media were ill-judged and were far below the standards I set for myself and that are expected of players in the sport," Hansen said in his statement. "I would like to apologise to the match officials, who may have been upset by my comments. Our game is built on mutual respect and I did not show that after the game. I also want to apologise to the URC and I fully accept the findings of the independent disciplinary panel.” He also stated that he would put all his energy and passion into representing his province and country, both on and off the field, to the best of his ability.

Hansen has been a standout player for Ireland since his introduction to the national team in 2022, scoring 13 tries in 27 appearances, but missed last year's Six Nations through injury. The news will be welcomed by Ireland’s interim head coach Simon Easterby, who has already lost Ulster’s Tom O’Toole for the England and Scotland games after he was banned for six matches for a dangerous clear-out in a match against Munster last month.