Winger Mack Hansen says Connacht are happy to be written off against the DHL Stormers when the teams clash in the Vodacom URC semi-finals on Saturday.
Although the Stormers, the defending champions, beat Connacht in round two of the URC campaign with a bonus-point win in Stellenbosch, the men from Galway have shown they can overcome adversity and rise to the occasion.
Connacht finished seventh in the league phase with 10 wins from 18 matches – that included a run of six wins in a rows – to secure a place in the playoffs. Last week, Andy Friend’s charges shocked Ulster with a 15-10 victory in Belfast.
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Speaking at a Connacht media conference, Hansen, who has 14 caps for Ireland and won the Grand Slam in the 2023 Six Nations, said: “We gave it everything we had for the full 80 minutes against Ulster. Plenty of positives and things to work on, and we’re pretty excited coming into this Stormers week.
“We know that we are the outside horse every week. Even when we started winning regularly, everyone just kept waiting for us to stumble. We just kept winning.”
While acknowledging the Stormers’ strength and home-ground advantage, he remains confident of victory in Cape Town. “They probably feel pretty comfortable that they could side step against Ulster, but that’s perfect for us. They have to keep thinking like that,” he said.
“We want to leave a legacy. We have everything to play for and are very happy about the game in South Africa. We are very comfortable being considered the outside horse,” Hansen stated.
The semi-final will be tough for both teams, yet Hansen believes Connacht are more adaptable. “Playoffs are always tougher. We are comfortable fighting the battle in the trenches. We know the Stormers are big guys, but we are adaptable to get the win,” he concluded.
Photo: @connachtrugby/Twitter