Ireland's Mack Hansen has been ruled out of the 2024 Six Nations this year after dislocating his shoulder against Munster. The Connacht and Ireland star will undergo surgery today.
The news was confirmed on Connacht's website, stating that "Hansen is expected to be unavailable for 3-4 months."
Hansen, 25, has won 21 Irish caps since making his debut. Last year, the rugby maverick scored three tries in Ireland's five games in the Six Nations as Ireland won their first-ever home Grand Slam.
Speaking about his star's injury, Connacht head coach Pete Wilkins said, "It's disappointing for us to lose Mack for such a period of time. Obviously, there’ll be a knock-on effect on the Irish campaign in the Six Nations and, most of all, disappointment for Mack. He was starting to find some form and rhythm, having been a little bit of a stop-start since the World Cup."
Wilkins now expects another member of his squad to come in and fill the void that Hansen's injury has left.
"Everyone loses out in that sense, and the fans will miss watching him play as well, so it’s up to us to fill that gap and give other players a chance to step up. He’s not lost his sense of humour; thankfully, he was in with us at the end of last week, so very much around the place, albeit in a sling.
We can confirm Mack Hansen will unfortunately have shoulder surgery today and is expected to be unavailable for 3-4 months.
A tough blow for him at this time of the season. All the best in your recovery Mack 💚
Full squad update: https://t.co/3omKRThae3#ConnachtRugby pic.twitter.com/8WsdZqLER2
— Connacht Rugby (@connachtrugby) January 8, 2024
"He’s gone off for surgery today. We’ve had lots of contact with him. It’s about trying to keep his spirits up. The key thing is to get this surgery and these initial couple of days out of the way, and you can start on that rehab campaign. He’s had a shoulder injury before, a similar injury when he was at Brumbies in Australia, so although that’s unfortunate to have it twice, at the same time he’s familiar with the surgical process, familiar with rehab, and that length of time," he added.
The 2024 Six Nations Championship is set to commence on Friday, February 2. Andy Farrell's Ireland heads to France to face Les Bleus. This game kicks off at 8 p.m. Irish time. Details about the venue are pending, as Stade de France is unavailable due to preparations for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Ireland will then play consecutive home matches at Aviva Stadium in Rounds 2 and 3. Italy will visit Dublin on Sunday, February 11, which kicks off at 3 p.m., followed by a Wales clash on Saturday, February 24, which kicks off at 2.15 p.m.
In Round 4, Ireland will head to Twickenham to take on England on Saturday, March 9 (this kicks off at 4.45 p.m.). The Championship finale will see Ireland host Scotland at Aviva Stadium on Super Saturday, March 16 (this kicks off at 4.45 p.m.).
