Latest news with #Hansen
Daily Mirror
16 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
British Lions star 'wasn't good enough for Australia' & has Andy Farrell tattoo
Mack Hansen was born and raised in Australia but, despite playing age grade rugby, never represented the Wallabies and so led to a move to Ireland, which means he'll play against his homeland for the Lions You'd be forgiven for thinking that a player who got their head coach's face tattooed on them was a teacher's pet, but not in this case. British and Irish Lions star Mack Hansen honoured a bet to get the Wigan legend inked on his leg. Farrell has had a profound impact on Hansen's career. He saw quality in the Connacht winger and picked him for Ireland, beginning a sequence of events that meant Hansen, who is Australian born, will now play against the Wallabies this summer. When fit the Ireland back three has picked itself. Hansen on one wing, James Lowe on the other and Hugo Keenan and fullback. All three men are on tour and they helped Ireland achieve the Grand Slam back in the 2023 Six Nations. The Irish were firmly on the rise. They'd beaten New Zealand in their own backyard only months earlier and Hansen, who already boasts a number of tattoos, claimed he'd get Farrell inked on him if Ireland won all five games. "Johnny Sexton seemed to remember about the tattoo the whole way through the Six Nations and kind of reminded me towards the end," he told the Evening Standard. "I'm a man of my word, I said I would get it and so I did. Andy's done great stuff for this team and for Irish rugby, on and off the pitch. I can definitely think of worse people to have on my leg, so it's not too bad." Farrell has become adopted by the Irish such has been his impact on their rugby scene. Those exploits saw him land the Lions job and among his 38-man squad are a number of players who would be wearing the Australian shirt this summer had things gone differently. Hansen was a Wallaby at U20 level and came through the ranks with the Brumbies. The Canberra-based outfit are currently the country's top performing side, but they were willing to shop Hansen about. There were no takers. And so he left Australia to take up a deal with Connacht in 2021. Within a year he debuted for Ireland given he was eligible through his Cork-born mother and the rest, as they say, is history. Hansen has come up with numerous viral moments, including some accidental explicits during very raw interviews. He's become one of the most likeable players on the planet - and one of the most relatable. Ireland's gain has certainly been Australia's loss. They had Hansen in their talent pool but a lack of recognition sent him halfway across the world to Galway, where he has earned iconic status. Former Wallaby midfielder Morgan Turinui insists the Ireland - and now Lions - winger would never have got a look in had he stayed in his homeland. 'I don't think he would have got picked here,' he previously said on Stan Sport's Between Two Posts podcast. 'That's the stupidity of it. He wasn't anywhere near it, really. Like the chat was that the Brumbies had their succession plan. They went to the other Super (Rugby) teams – his management, whatever – said, 'Who wants him?' No one wanted him. 'And he was a good footballer, but good football didn't stand out, whatever, you couldn't have picked him – well, I wouldn't have picked him to be this good at international level.' The last time the Lions headed to Australia was in 2013. It remains their last series victory. During the warm-up games the Brumbies were the only side to down the Lions and Hansen was in the crowd that day but is now in line to make his first Lions outing having been named among the replacements for Friday's game against Argentina. He admits he "feel in love with the concept" of what the Lions is. Now he gets the chance to be front and centre as he and his pal Farrell look to end 12 years of frustration.
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Lions star hails Marcus Smith after admitting "maybe he's a bit of a "*****"
The British and Irish Lions have just enjoyed their first week together and Mack Hansen has hailed the personal qualities of Marcus Smith whilst acknowledging what the outside perception might be Marcus Smith has been hailed as "an absolute gent" by British and Irish Lions team-mate Mack Hansen after their first week in camp together - after admitting some onlookers may see him as "a little bit of a *****" A bulk of the squad have just been prepping in Portugal before heading to Dublin ahead of Friday's opening game. Smith and Hansen will have crossed paths on the pitch when England play Ireland, but otherwise will have had minimal interaction. The squad was players from four nations come together and head coach Andy Farrell urged his players to offer feedback on their team-mates. He called on Hansen, the Ireland and Connacht winger, to give his thoughts on an individual before he highlighted the qualities of the England and Harlequins fly-half. Smith has long been lauded for his highlight reel-worthy performances. Smith is also open to the off pitch success the sport brings and his flashy image, as well as his link-up with talent company Roc Nation, has fed a narrative that Hansen insists is not true. He said on the Ultimate Test YouTube video: "Mine's a little different, I've always thought Marcus is an incredible player and then since coming in here the last couple of days that we've spent together I've got to know him as a person and everything and I think he's an absolute gent. "Like I said I always knew he was a great player and when you look at him you could think that maybe he's a little bit of a *****, but he's actually a great bloke. So I've gained a lot of respect for him from that, I think he's a really genuine person." England and now Lions captain Maro Itoje was also called upon to give his thoughts and he singled out Tommy Freeman for particular praise. The Northampton winger has continued to blossom with Itoje citing his stellar performance in the recent European Cup final. Another Englishman in Jack van Poortvliet has been called up to train with the Lions after Ireland's Jamison Gibson-Park suffered a minor glute strain, which is not thought to be serious, but will hamper him in the lead up to the Argentina game on Friday night. Van Poortvliet flew to Dublin on Tuesday morning to help the team prepare. He joins Jamie George and Asher Opoku-Fordjour who weren't named in the initial squad but have made up the numbers recently.
Global News
3 days ago
- Business
- Global News
G7 leaders ‘vigilant' for energy impacts from Iran-Israel conflict
The leaders of the G7 are urging a resolution between Israel and Iran amid escalating rounds of strikes, saying they will 'remain vigilant' and respond if the conflict impacts international energy markets. 'We will remain vigilant to the implications for international energy markets and stand ready to coordinate, including with like-minded partners, to safeguard market stability,' a joint statement from the G7 leaders reads. In the statement, the leaders said they affirm that Israel has a right to defend itself and reiterated their support for the country, while stressing the importance of protecting civilians. They added they're hopeful a resolution could lead to a 'broader de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza.' 'Iran is the principal source of regional instability and terror,' the joint statement reads. 'We have been consistently clear that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.' Story continues below advertisement The joint statement from G7 leaders came Monday evening following meetings in Kananaskis, Alta. Oil prices were driven higher on Tuesday as the conflict continued, though major oil and gas infrastructure and flows had been spared from substantial impact. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Though there has been no noticeable interruption of oil flows, Iran partially suspended gas production at the South Pars field that it shares with Qatar following an Israeli strike started a fire on Saturday. Saxo Bank analyst Ole Hansen told Reuters the market was largely worried about disruption through the Strait of Hormuz, though the risk was low. 1:51 Middle East air travel disrupted as Israel-Iran conflict escalates There is no appetite for closing the waterway, given that Iran would lose revenue and the U.S. wants lower oil prices and lower inflation, Hansen added. Story continues below advertisement Despite the potential for disruption, there are signs oil supplies remain ample amid expectations of lower demand. In its monthly oil report on Tuesday, the International Energy Agency revised its world oil demand estimate downwards by 20,000 barrels per day (bpd) from last month's forecast and increased the supply estimate by 200,000 bpd to 1.8 million bpd. U.S. President Donald Trump spoke about the conflict before a meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney, reiterating his comments that Iran should have made a nuclear deal with the U.S. early and said Tehran should 'talk immediately before it's too late.' He then left the G7 late Monday, with the White House telling reporters he was leaving due to the escalating conflict in the Middle East but not elaborating further. However, French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters Monday evening that discussions were underway on a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, though Trump denied that he was working on such a move. He said Macron 'mistakenly said that I left the G7 Summit, in Canada, to go back to D.C. to work on a 'cease fire' between Israel and Iran. Wrong.' Trump went on to say he was heading to Washington for something 'much bigger' that has nothing to do with a ceasefire. Story continues below advertisement The president also, early Tuesday morning, said on Truth Social that he had not reached out to Iran for ''Peace Talks' in any way, shape, or form.' — with files from Reuters and The Associated Press
Business Recorder
3 days ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
Oil prices rise as Iran-Israel conflict escalates
LONDON: Oil prices were driven higher on Tuesday by the Iran-Israel conflict, though major oil and gas infrastructure and flows have so far been spared from substantial impact. Brent crude futures gained $1.56, or 2.1%, to $74.79 a barrel by 1202 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was up $1.42, or nearly 2%, at $73.19. Both contracts rose more than 2% early in the session but also retreated in volatile trade before bouncing back. While there was no noticeable interruption to oil flows, Iran partially suspended gas production at the South Pars field that it shares with Qatar after an Israeli strike started a fire there on Saturday. Israel also hit the Shahran oil depot in Iran. 'The market is largely worried about disruption through (the Strait of) Hormuz, but the risk of that is very low,' said Saxo Bank analyst Ole Hansen. There is no appetite for closing the waterway, given that Iran would lose revenue and the U.S. wants lower oil prices and lower inflation, Hansen added. Oil prices fall more than $2 barrel Two oil tankers collided and caught fire on Tuesday near the Strait of Hormuz, where electronic interference has surged, highlighting the risks to companies moving oil and fuel supplies in the region. Despite the potential for disruption, there are signs oil supplies remain ample amid expectations of lower demand. In its monthly oil report on Tuesday, the International Energy Agency revised its world oil demand estimate downwards by 20,000 barrels per day (bpd) from last month's forecast and increased the supply estimate by 200,000 bpd to 1.8 million bpd. Investors were also focused on central bank interest rate decisions, PVM Associates analyst Tamas Varga said in a note, with the U.S. Federal Open Market Committee set to discuss rates later on Tuesday.
Business Insider
7 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Raymond James Reaffirms Their Buy Rating on Methanex (MEOH)
In a report released today, Steve Hansen from Raymond James maintained a Buy rating on Methanex (MEOH – Research Report), with a price target of C$40.00. The company's shares closed today at $36.00. Confident Investing Starts Here: Easily unpack a company's performance with TipRanks' new KPI Data for smart investment decisions Receive undervalued, market resilient stocks right to your inbox with TipRanks' Smart Value Newsletter Hansen covers the Industrials sector, focusing on stocks such as Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Decisive Dividend, and Firan Tech. According to TipRanks, Hansen has an average return of 1.8% and a 51.53% success rate on recommended stocks. In addition to Raymond James, Methanex also received a Buy from Scotiabank's Ben Isaacson in a report issued today. However, on June 10, J.P. Morgan initiated coverage with a Hold rating on Methanex (NASDAQ: MEOH).
