James Slipper, former Brumbies teammate of Mack Hansen, jokes about Hansen's maturation since moving from Australia to Connacht in Ireland, praising his success and growth.
Slipper, 35, was one of the more senior players at the Super Rugby outfit when Hansen was coming through, and before he made the leap from his Australian home to Galway ahead of the 2021-22 season.
Slipper's Wallabies team-mate Tom Wright recalls working with Hansen as part of the backs unit at the Canberra club. "He was obviously quickly one of the cult heroes over here for a good reason, plays a brand of football that's entertaining to watch - he was always that skilful, talented player when he was in Canberra," said Wright.
Meanwhile, Slipper paid tribute to a player who he could face in the front row - Cian Healy will make his 134th Ireland appearance, a new record. "I think longevity is more about being smart around your prep, your training and the recovery, but you also need to push at times, push through certain injuries or niggles. I'm sure Cian's done plenty of that over his long career."
James Slipper Mack Hansen Brumbies Connacht Rugby Wallabies Ireland
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