Mack Hansen reveals the horrific details behind his foot injury
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Bionic man.
Mack Hansen has revealed that he needed six screws and a metal plate inserted into his foot after an injury suffered during last year’s British & Irish Lions tour.
The Ireland star has only recently returned to action for Connacht following a gruelling rehabilitation process which forced him to learn how to walk and run again.
Hansen initially suffered the injury in the closing stages of the Lions’ 48-0 victory over an AUNZ Invitational XV, ruling him out of the Test series against Australia.
“I wish I had a better story for you, but it was so innocuous,” Hansen told The Times.
“It was the last 30 seconds of the game, we were 48-0 up, I went to pick the ball up and stepped on a bloke’s foot. I rolled off it and my foot sort of gave way. But that was it. It was no big deal, just one of those things.”
Initial scans revealed ligament damage but did not suggest the injury would keep Hansen sidelined for such a prolonged period.
He attempted to return for Connacht against the Bulls before making a spectacular Ireland comeback, scoring a hat-trick inside 22 minutes against Australia.
However, the problem resurfaced for a third time against South Africa the following week, and a specialist subsequently determined that surgery was required.
“When the foot went for a third time, we sent the scans off to James in London,” Hansen explained.
“I’d done a few ligaments, but he saw that a couple of joints in there were out of whack and thought it was likely to keep happening unless we went for surgery.
“I had a bone fusion, and I’ve now got six screws and a metal plate in there. It’s basically a bionic foot; I’m hoping it might add a few metres to my kicking game!
“Having said that, I’ve got some metal in my shoulder, and that doesn’t seem to have made my tackling any better.”
Hansen’s operation was followed by months of rehabilitation as he adjusted to what felt like an entirely different foot.
The 28-year-old had to relearn some of the most basic movements before eventually modifying his running technique.
“Essentially, it’s a brand new foot, so everything felt different. Walking was the weirdest bit; I just hadn’t done it for so long, and then it was getting back to the normality of running,” he said.
“I did have to learn to run a slightly different way. Nothing drastic, but it is different.”
Hansen has since featured in Connacht’s pre-season matches against Vannes and Ealing Trailfinders, bringing an injury nightmare lasting more than a year towards an end.
His first competitive appearance of the new season is set to come against the Stormers, with Ireland’s upcoming internationals against Argentina, Fiji and South Africa also on the horizon.
For now, however, Hansen’s priority is simply putting together a sustained run of matches.
“Just getting a string of games together will be great,” he added.
“For so long I was rehabbing, then running in straight lines, gradually adding the curves in. It’s a slow process, but I’ve gone from pretty much being a runner for a couple of months to actually playing rugby and getting a ball in my hands. That’s what I’ve missed more than anything.
