IRELAND AND CONNACHT WINGER Mack Hansen believes that England's humbling loss to France at Twickenham last weekend could give the England team extra motivation when the they meet Ireland for the Grand Slam finale this weekend.
England fell to a record 53-10 defeat in the previous round against the French and have come under fire from rugby pundits and fans since Saturday.
📺 Enjoy every single try from Twickenham 🍿
Full highlights ⬇️#ENGvFRA | #GuinnessSixNations pic.twitter.com/Md8Vlkdfgw— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) March 11, 2023
Steve Borthwick's England charges have only won two games this Six Nations campaign and that came against a spirited Italy and a dour Wales side.
Ireland on the other hand have overcome every challenge put in front of them and will now take on England at the Aviva Stadium this Saturday in Dublin.
Ireland's last Grand Slam win was in 2018 at Twickenham and before that was in Cardiff in 2009.
Ireland have never won a Grand Slam on home soil and will be in confident mood ahead of the game.
Hansen, who scored in the 22-7 win over Scotland on Sunday believes that England have the tools to bounce back from their humiliating defeat to Les Bleus last weekend.
“The worst thing that could have happened for us was England getting pumped at home."
“You just know they’re going to turn around," said Hansen.
"They’re a great side. It didn’t go their way against France, they still have unreal players.
"We know they’re going to bounce back, we know they’re going to bring a lot of energy.
"It’ll be a completely different team to last weekend. But we want to play against the best and if they’re at their best then it’s going to be great, a good match.”
This game will be Hansen's first test against England. The Connacht superstar missed Ireland's win at Twickenham last year. Although not born on the island Hansen is aware what the fixture means to Irish people
“I don’t know if I should say too much… There’s a fair bit of hatred, isn’t there? It’s good, though, because once the game is done, they are good lads like everyone else.
"That sh**t happened… how long ago now? But it does add a bit of fire to the game. I was unlucky that I didn’t get to play last year, so fingers crossed I get to play next Saturday.”
Ireland's game against England starts at 5pm on Saturday
The game can be seen on BBC, Virgin, and other platforms
'Everybody hates England', says Ireland wing Mack Hansen
✍️ @CERichardson_#TelegraphRugby | #GuinnessSixNations— Telegraph Rugby (@TelegraphRugby) March 13, 2023
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