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Peter O\u2019Mahony says Ireland squad would be lost without \u201ccharacters\u201d like Mack Hansen in their camp at the Rugby World Cup.<\/p>\n
Wing Hansen will make his full tournament debut against Tonga on Saturday evening following a 20-minute cameo in last weekend\u2019s 82-8 win over Romania.<\/p>\n
Flanker O\u2019Mahony 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s been a breath of fresh air,\u201d said O\u2019Mahony. \u201cAn incredible character, good person. Straight away we knew he was a top man.<\/p>\n
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\u201cA character but above it all he\u2019s an incredible athlete and one of the world\u2019s best wingers at the moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe overriding factor is that he\u2019s a good person and he\u2019s seamlessly fitted into our squad. He\u2019s been great craic and you need characters like that.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe beauty of the game of rugby is the different characters you get and we\u2019d be lost without guys like this.<\/p>\n
\u201cTours like this are made for being incredibly serious but the craic that fellas like this bring make it a great place to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hansen was initially a surprise omission from Andy Farrell\u2019s match day 23 for Ireland\u2019s Pool B opener against Romania in Bordeaux.<\/p>\n
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But he was a late addition to the bench in place of the injured Robbie Henshaw before coming on for Keith Earls.<\/p>\n
Head coach Farrell dismissed any suggestion that Hansen had originally been left out for disciplinary reasons.<\/p>\n
Asked by a reporter why the Connacht player was overlooked in the first instance, Farrell interjected: \u201cWas it you who kept on asking the question last week? Where the hell did all that come from?<\/p>\n
\u201cLeft out of the 23? No. We wanted to give someone else a game, as simple as that.<\/p>\n
\u201cMack\u2019s up next (for media), so you can ask him the question as well, \u2018was he a naughty boy?\u2019. He definitely wasn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, when an attempt was made to ask Hansen about his coach\u2019s comments, O\u2019Mahony, who was sitting alongside him, stepped in, saying: \u201cDid Andy not just answer a question about this a second ago?\u201d<\/p>\n
Hansen then joked: \u201cWe had a five-minute tiff whatever and we\u2019re fine now, so it\u2019s all good!\u201d<\/p>\n
The native Australian, who made his Ireland debut in last year\u2019s Six Nations after qualifying through his Cork-born mother, is already relishing his first World Cup experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an absolute privilege, I didn\u2019t know if I\u2019d ever get the opportunity to do so,\u201d he said, ahead of the weekend match in Nantes.<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst start, against a good Tongan team, it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of my mates are over at the moment, so it\u2019s tough getting Snapchats of them smoking vapes and drinking beers at 12 in the morning while I\u2019m trying to prepare for a game.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it\u2019s good craic and it\u2019s actually been nice getting that aspect outside of playing and seeing how much a World Cup means to people.\u201d<\/p>\n
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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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not the first person to take their shorts off after a game, I doubt I\u2019ll be the last,\u201d Hansen said. \u201cI\u2019ve been told to keep them on this week I\u2019ll try my hardest.\u201d<\/p>\n