Having firmly established himself as one of Ireland's first-choice wingers alongside James Lowe, Mack Hansen showed on Saturday against Brive that 'marshal of the backfield' could potentially be a position he could take up for Ireland, should the need arise.
With Hugo Keenan being one of the premier fullbacks in world rugby, Hansen won't be considered as a potential usurper to his role. And, even if Keenan was to fall foul of injury, the likes of Jimmy O'Brien or Mike Haley might consider themselves ahead of Hansen in the replacement pecking order.
As such, his ability at 15, in an international sense, might be looked upon as an added feature on an essential appliance, like an ice maker on a fridge. Convenient and cool, but rather unnecessary in the grand scheme of things.
However, with closer inspection, Hansen's potential at fullback could have repercussions in the seemingly never ending narrative of Ireland's back-up flyhalves.
Joey Carbery is still the man in firm possession of the understudy role to Sexton. A role which he has gained through merit as a ten, but also with his ability to play fullback at a high level.
With a fully fit squad, Andy Farrell will be able to call upon three world class centres in Robbie Henshaw, Garry Ringrose, and Bundee Aki. Ideally two will start, with one adding game changing impact off the bench.
The lack of cover at fullback which this brings adds huge value to Joey Carbery's cause for the no. 22 jersey, and was also a factor in Ciarán Frawley's recent caps against the Maori All Blacks. But, if Mack Hansen can prove that he can cut it in the 15 jersey at the top level, the cases for other outhalves - namely Ross Byrne and Jack Crowley - will grow stronger.
Whether Hansen can cut it at the required level remains to be seen, and indeed may never be seen.
In the meantime, you can check out below some of his highlights in the 15 jersey from Connacht's 61-5 Challenge Cup thrashing of Brive (1.22 and 5.33).
Mack Hansen Shows Off His Prowess At Fullback
READ HERE: Mack Hansen Reveals He Has A Tattoo Of Connacht Teammate
After the game, Connacht head coach Andy Friend touched upon Hansen's performance, and revealed an interesting nugget that upon arriving in Ireland, Hansen's favoured position was indeed the 15 jersey.
"When he first got here he said his best position is 15, but we stuck him on the wing and he was doing so well there we didn't want to change it to be honest.
"He had a few chances last year, but we felt wing was where he looked most comfortable.
"It was a wise selection from Pete (Wilkins) to throw him in at 15 and he did pretty well, didn't he?"
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