🔗 Share this article

After last week's underwhelming performance against the Japanese team, the head coach challenged his Irish team to step up their game.

The team responded immediately.

The Irish side had struggled in the final stages against New Zealand and taken most of the match to find their rhythm versus their Asian opponents.

However, against Australia, they began powerfully, with the talented back excelling most prominently during a comprehensive victory that marked the team's best performance this year.

Making his first test match appearance at the number 15 position, the player scored a hat-trick, competed excellently for aerial challenges and performed exceptionally against the country of his birth.

"Look, I've had a pretty challenging period with injuries honestly," the athlete stated.

"I missed being in this team, I know there's much discussion about me not necessarily being raised here and I wasn't raised here, but I love this team and this feels like family.

"Whenever I have to play for Ireland it's a privilege, if you don't put in a performance you might not receive that privilege again.

"My whole focus this period was to go out and do what I could do."

Manager declared: 'Excellent athletes require no excuses'

After twenty-eight appearances on the wing, the player was given the number 15 role for the first time with multiple players injured.

In his case, it was simply a case of picking up where he finished during the warmer months.

The 28-year-old had been in superb condition before physical issues ended his dream of joining the international team.

After come back last month, he suffered a lower body injury that ruled him out for earlier fixtures.

The coach had indicated that Hansen was especially motivated and these turned out to be not empty statements as the ex- club player gave his manager a welcome selection headache for future games.

"Well my first reaction were, 'You better play well in those different colored shoes!'," commented the coach, referring to Hansen's choice to wear different boots.

"In fact I believed that was appropriate but it seems Mack just made that himself anyway. So he's drawn attention to himself before he's even started.

"I told to him before the match, 'Excellent players require no justifications, they can get on with it and just be themselves, you can win the man of the match if you want,' and he went, 'Yeah, I concur.'

"Therefore he's that type of player, he prepares well, he's got a excellent attitude to understand his preparation and thus that's why he slotted straight into the team and he was capable to perform naturally because of that."

Hansen's performance also received praise from the opposing coach, who stated he was the "standout Australian performer" on the night.

"In my view he was super, his experience was evident to the fore," commented the former national manager.

"Unfortunately, Hansen was probably the best opposition player on the pitch. He's has a great skillset and he's such a strong competitor."

Pressed about what enables the player a good fit at the number 15 position, Farrell added: "Appearing in the middle of the pitch is something that he does from the flank regardless, but I suppose he's more in position for that frequently.

"His aerial play was excellent, wasn't it? I believed we persisted of doing the right approach and that was putting the possession back on them to gain field position.

"The reason that was the correct strategy to do is because it's the likes of Hansen who was securing the possessions back, and additional teammates, so [it's] quite satisfying."

Outside Hansen, there were numerous positives for Farrell.

Another player was outstanding on his return to the number 10 position, the scrum and line-out functioned smoothly and another teammate did not look uncomfortable in his debut appearance in the forwards.

But perhaps most satisfying for Farrell was the team bookending the match with two impressive spells.

The player's initial two scores occurred in the first eleven minutes while other teammates scored in the closing exchanges after the other team had crossed, guaranteeing the Irish team concluded on a positive note.

"I thought we truly performed freely and attacked the game straight from the beginning," said Farrell.

"The way we handled various aspects during the match, especially them coming back just before half-time and regathering ourselves and giving a display like we achieved in the later stages, I thought as far as field position and being across most of our game in that later period was really satisfying."

The strength of the Springboks are next up for Ireland, in what could be considered as an unofficial conclusion to the previous season's drawn two-Test series on rival soil.

The coach's team will need to reach another standard to defeat the consecutive title holders, but the recent defeat of the Wallabies was a important step in the correct path after an uninspiring start to their fall campaign.