Ex-Ireland boss’ bias warning to Andy Farrell after ‘unnecessary’ comments would have sent ‘shiver down the spine’ of non-Irish Lions
British and Irish Lions head coach Andy Farrell and wing Mack Hansen.
Eddie O’Sullivan has warned Andy Farrell about overdoing the Irish praise after his comments about Mack Hansen following the weekend’s clash against Western Force.
The British and Irish Lions thrashed the Perth outfit 54-7 at the weekend but the head coach reserved special praise for the Ireland wing after his remarkable second half effort.
Hansen showed incredible work ethic to chase back after the Force counter-attacked following an intercept before kicking ahead and forcing a knock-on.
It was a hugely impressive moment but one which O’Sullivan felt Farrell was unwise to highlight in the aftermath of the game.
‘Got to be really careful’
“Andy Farrell’s leaning into Mack Hansen at the weekend…it’s good for Hansen, but I’m not sure if I was in his shoes that I would have done that,” he told the Indo Sport podcast.
“Because Hansen’s Irish. This is something we’ve talked about before – there’s so many Irish on the tour. He’s got to be really careful with his words.
“If you’re Tommy Freeman and you think you’ve a shot at the Test side and the head coach is talking up Mack Hansen after the first game against the Western Force, you kind of get a cold shiver down your spine that maybe this guy is nailed in as a test [starter].
“It’s not somebody in the media saying it, it’s not an assistant coach saying it, it’s the head coach who’s talking up Mack Hansen. I’m not sure I would have done that.”
There were concerns about possible Irish bias ahead of the tour given that Farrell leads their national team and O’Sullivan is worried about the perception those comments created within the Lions environment.
Keep conversation private
“I’m not telling Andy how to do his job, he’s excellent at what he does, his man management skills are superb, but I thought it was probably an unnecessary situation. He could have told Mack all that in the privacy of the changing room. Coaches do that, and they should do that,” he said.
“But if you’re another winger on the tour and an Irish winger is getting singled out early doors… the fact he’s Irish will play with people’s heads, whether you like it or not.
“I would have said it in the [team] meeting. Because if you’re a winger on this tour and you’re not Irish, you feel you’re one layer removed from your chances. There’s no evidence that that’s true, and it may not be true, but [it’s] your perception as a guy on the tour.
“It’s an Irish coaching staff, so if you’re not Irish, you feel you have an extra hump to get over here to get in the Test side. I think that’s something I would have kept for the meeting room.”
