Peter O’Mahony says Ireland squad would be lost without “characters” like Mack Hansen in their camp at the Rugby World Cup.
Wing Hansen will make his full tournament debut against Tonga on Saturday evening following a 20-minute cameo in last weekend’s 82-8 win over Romania.
Flanker O’Mahony believes the 25-year-old is among the best in the world in his position, as well an asset to the group off the field due to his fun-loving nature.
“He’s been a breath of fresh air,” said O’Mahony. “An incredible character, good person. Straight away we knew he was a top man.
“A character but above it all he’s an incredible athlete and one of the world’s best wingers at the moment.
“The overriding factor is that he’s a good person and he’s seamlessly fitted into our squad. He’s been great craic and you need characters like that.
“The beauty of the game of rugby is the different characters you get and we’d be lost without guys like this.
“Tours like this are made for being incredibly serious but the craic that fellas like this bring make it a great place to be.”
Hansen was initially a surprise omission from Andy Farrell’s match day 23 for Ireland’s Pool B opener against Romania in Bordeaux.
But he was a late addition to the bench in place of the injured Robbie Henshaw before coming on for Keith Earls.
Head coach Farrell dismissed any suggestion that Hansen had originally been left out for disciplinary reasons.
Asked by a reporter why the Connacht player was overlooked in the first instance, Farrell interjected: “Was it you who kept on asking the question last week? Where the hell did all that come from?
“Left out of the 23? No. We wanted to give someone else a game, as simple as that.
“Mack’s up next (for media), so you can ask him the question as well, ‘was he a naughty boy?’. He definitely wasn’t.”
However, when an attempt was made to ask Hansen about his coach’s comments, O’Mahony, who was sitting alongside him, stepped in, saying: “Did Andy not just answer a question about this a second ago?”
Hansen then joked: “We had a five-minute tiff whatever and we’re fine now, so it’s all good!”
The native Australian, who made his Ireland debut in last year’s Six Nations after qualifying through his Cork-born mother, is already relishing his first World Cup experience.
“It’s an absolute privilege, I didn’t know if I’d ever get the opportunity to do so,” he said, ahead of the weekend match in Nantes.
“First start, against a good Tongan team, it’s really exciting. I was lucky enough to come off the bench last week so (that) kind of settled the nerves a bit and I can really enjoy this week.
“A lot of my mates are over at the moment, so it’s tough getting Snapchats of them smoking vapes and drinking beers at 12 in the morning while I’m trying to prepare for a game.
“But it’s good craic and it’s actually been nice getting that aspect outside of playing and seeing how much a World Cup means to people.”
Hansen attracted attention following the Romania game by stripping to his underwear after swapping shirts with an opponent and giving his shorts to a fan, much to the amusement of the onlooking Farrell.
“I’m not the first person to take their shorts off after a game, I doubt I’ll be the last,” Hansen said. “I’ve been told to keep them on this week I’ll try my hardest.”
'Job not done' for Springboks after All Blacks triumph, says Kolisi
South Africa captain Siya Kolisi warned his team the job is far from done despite them rallying for a thrilling victory over New Zealand in the Rugby Championship on Saturday.
The Springboks secured a 31-27 win over the All Blacks at Ellis Park, coming from behind with two late tries from Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Grant Williams.
The victory hauled South Africa onto 14 points in the Championship standings as they bid to end New Zealand's four-year stranglehold on the title, but Kolisi says there is still work to be done.
Addressing the capacity crowd in his post-match interview, Kolisi said: "We play for a lot but you people are our number one motivation.
"We appreciate you every single day. Please don't stop. When times are tough, please keep supporting us. We cannot do it without you.
"We respect the All Blacks. No matter what people say about them, when they need to turn up, they turn up. We believed in ourselves, we didn't panic, and we did what we wanted.
"They were catching us on the exit. After the first try in the second half, we picked it up. I'm really proud of the boys but the job is not done."
All Blacks captain Scott Barrett, meanwhile, was proud of his team-mates' efforts but admitted they had just fallen short of putting together a complete performance.
"Well done to the Springboks, it showed the class team they are," he said. "We weren't quite good enough. We were good for 62 minutes and it's an 80-minute game.
"There were two key moments after kick-offs where we couldn't quite get out of our half and they punished us. It was a huge effort, we're certainly proud, but it was just not quite to be.
"We'll regroup pretty quickly. Some guys have played here for the first time. It's intense and we'll have to be better next week."
South Africa host New Zealand again in Cape Town next week, while Australia go to Argentina for their round-three matchup.
Olise receives maiden France call-up for Nations League fixtures
Michael Olise has been named in France's senior squad for the first time by Didier Deschamps for their upcoming Nations League fixtures next month.
Olise, who represented France at the Paris Olympics, is one of two players making the step up alongside Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Manu Kone.
The 22-year-old impressed at the Games, helping Thierry Henry's side reach their first showpiece final since 1984, scoring twice and registering five assists.
Olise secured a reported £50.8million move to Bayern Munich prior to the Olympics after notching 16 goal involvements (10 goals and six assists) for Crystal Palace in the 2024-24 campaign.
"Michael did great things with Thierry Henry's Olympic team and he has moved up into a new category with his transfer to Bayern Munich," Deschamps told reporters.
"It is quite logical that he should now come with us. He still has progress to make but potentially he has a lot of quality."
There is also a return to the squad for Chelsea's Wesley Fofana, while Kylian Mbappe will feature on the international stage for the first time since his move to Real Madrid.
From their Euro 2024 squad, three players have been left out, including Olise's Bayern team-mate Kingsley Coman, as well as Benjamin Pavard and Adrien Rabiot.
France start their Nations League campaign against Italy on September 6 before facing Belgium three days later in a repeat of their last 16 encounter at Euro 2024.
France's squad in full:
Alphonse Areola (West Ham United), Mike Maignan (AC Milan), Brice Samba (Lens); Jonathan Clauss (Nice), Wesley Fofana (Chelsea), Theo Hernandez (AC Milan), Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool), Jules Kounde (Barcelona), Ferland Mendy (Real Madrid), William Saliba (Arsenal), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich); Youssouf Fofana (AC Milan), N'Golo Kante (Al Ittihad), Manu Kone (Borussia Monchengladbach), Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid), Warren Zaire-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain); Bradley Barcola (Paris Saint-Germain), Ousmane Dembele (Paris Saint-Germain), Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Randal Kolo Muani (Paris Saint-Germain), Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid), Michael Olise (Bayern Munich), Marcus Thuram (Inter Milan).
Henry steps down as France Under-21's head coach following Paris Olympics
Thierry Henry has stepped down from his role as France Under-21's head coach after guiding his side to a silver medal at the Paris Olympics.
Henry, who was appointed last year on a contract until June 2025, said he was moving away from the position due to reasons personal to him.
The former Arsenal striker led Les Bleus to a first final at the Games since 1984 in Paris, but fell agonisngly short in the showpiece match against Spain.
Two goals in extra-time from Sergio Camello secured La Roja a second gold medal after France had come from 3-1 down to force extra-time at the Parc des Princes.
During his time in charge of the Olympic squad, Henry won eight of his 11 games in charge (two draws and one loss) while also scoring 31 goals in that time.
His side conceded 12 times during his tenure, with five of those coming in their gold medal match against Spain at the Games.
"I would like to thank the FFF and the president Philippe Diallo who offered me this incredible opportunity," Henry said in a statement.
"Winning the silver medal at the Olympic Games for my country will remain one of the proudest things I have ever had.
"I am incredibly grateful to the Federation, the players, the staff and the fans who have given me a magical experience."
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