Connacht coach Pete Wilkins defends winger Mack Hansen's passionate comments about officiating bias against his team during their URC loss to Leinster. Hansen's outburst sparked debate, with some criticizing his approach, but Wilkins praises his honesty and highlights the importance of player perspectives.
Pete Wilkins insists Connacht won't order Mack Hansen to rein in his opinions as the winger waits to discover if he faces a ban for his Aviva Stadium outburst.
READ MORE: URC could slap ban on Mack Hansen after post-match outburst over officials' treatment of ConnachtFormer Ireland out-half Tony Ward argued yesterday that Hansen's outburst went against the ethos of the sport. However Connacht boss Wilkins backed his man, saying: "In terms of whether players should be able to talk, like, if you see it in all sports.
"So for Mack, I think what was really important is to highlight that he was talking about how it feels as a player on the field in games like that. Wilkins also revealed that he was straight onto Tappe Henning, the head of URC referees, after the press conference on Saturday - to open the lines of communication after Hansen's controversial comments.
"I knew that there would be a reaction in the media from the press conference. So I wanted to make sure that Tappe was aware that I knew there'd probably be a response, and there'd be questions asked on both sides. So what happens after that I don't know. But the important thing is that we've got those communication channels open, and we'll see."
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