For Mack Hansen, the week before Ireland v France brought with it a powerful experience which opened his eyes to the history of the island of Ireland.
Hansen was raised by a Corkonian mother in Canberra, Australia, and lived down under until joining Connacht in 2021.
Since then, Hansen has become a crucial player out west, while working his way into the Irish team and making his place in the team secure over the course of a successful two years under Andy Farrell.
Ahead of the recent clash with France in the Six Nations, the Irish camp were visited by Brian O'Driscoll for a screening of his BT Sport documentary 'Shoulder to Shoulder'.
The BT documentary dealt with the makeup of the Irish rugby team, and the power of 'Ireland's Call' as an anthem that could be shared by players from both sides of the border when playing in a green jersey.
O'Driscoll was joined by ex-Ireland player David Irwin, who suffered injuries in an IRA bombing in 1987. Many players spoke of the emotion of the occasion, with Johnny Sexton moved to tears during the anthems ahead of the French game as a result.
Ahead of Ireland's return to Six Nations action against Italy, Mack Hansen shared his perspective on the special visitors to the Ireland camp, and said the screening had given him a powerful insight into the previous turmoil on the island of Ireland.
Mack Hansen speaks powerfully on the importance of 'Ireland's Call'
11 February 2023; Ireland players, from left, James Lowe, Caelan Doris, Mack Hansen, Jack Conan, Ross Byrne and Craig Casey before the Guinness Six Nations Rugby Championship match between Ireland and France at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
Ahead of the 1995 Rugby World Cup, it was decided Ireland would need a second anthem for the rugby team, due to the fact that the team represented the entire island, rather than the 26 or 6 counties, and some players from Northern Ireland may not have identified with the lyrics of Amhrán na bhFiann.
Phil Coulter's specially composed 'Ireland's Call' was the song chosen and, though it remains divisive among fans, its importance is now not lost on the current squad, after the special presentation ahead of the French game.
Mack Hansen revealed in his pre-match media duties in Rome that some fellow squad members had taken the opportunity to speak about their connection with the song, and that the entire evening was a powerful insight into the unifying potential of the Irish rugby jersey:
It was so strong and powerful. Not only did they get to speak but listening to some guys in our team speak on it as well, they gave their points of views, which wasn't planned, they came out and expressed some things.
Keith Earls and James Ryan spoke really well about what the jersey meant to them and what the song meant to them, which makes it really hit home. It made me realise how [much] bother this country was in at one point and it's amazing to think of one team out of every sport stayed together, which was rugby, and were able to keep going.
It just made me realise how special this jersey really is and how much it actually means to everybody here, how special it is. You can't say that there's any other team in the world that has gone through what we have and stayed together. It was really powerful.
James Ryan's emotional reaction to the talk was noted by Brian O'Driscoll on punditry duty for the French game. Ryan will captain Ireland in Rome, and he said that players like Hansen who grew up abroad learning more about the importance of the Irish jersey was part of what made the experience so special:
It was great because it gave guys like Mack, and even Bundee [Aki], Rob [Herring] and some of the other guys that grew up elsewhere an understanding of the jersey, the journey that it's been on and the strength of it.
Even the guys that grew up in Ireland as well, it gave them a deeper understanding of it too, so it was good for everybody.
'Ireland's Call' will ring around the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday afternoon ahead of Ireland's third game in the Six Nations, and you'd struggle to find an Irish player who won't have been swept up by the emotion created by Brian O'Driscoll and David Irwin's visit to the team camp.
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