NASH ON DEMAND
Hansen’s injury blow opens door for in-form Munster wing to take Six Nations by storm
OPPORTUNITY knocks for Calvin Nash. Ireland’s Six Nations opener against France on February 2 is fast approaching and head coach Andy Farrell must plan for the clash in Marseille without Mack Hansen.
The Connacht wing will miss the entire championship with a dislocated shoulder and Nash looks set to capitalise.
Pitching the 26-year-old Munster man into the starting line-up under the Friday night lights of Stade Velodrome might seem like a risk, given Nash’s inexperience at this level.
The Limerick native has just one international cap to his name, — earned in a pre-World Cup friendly against Italy in August — but Nash would be a form selection.
He has been a shining light in an enterprising Munster team this season. The province may be riddled with injuries and in the middle of a bumpy patch of form, but their electric wing has been earning rave reviews.
Nash seems to fit the prototype which Farrell wants in a wing as well. Under the stewardship of attack coach Mike Prendergast, he has been implored to get involved as much as a can.
It’s no coincidence that Nash and teammate Shane Daly’s careers made significant strides when Graham Rowntree succeeded Johann van Graan as Munster boss. Both had suffered on the South African’s conservative watch. Their roles were sticking to the touchlines and chasing kicks mainly. Not much room for attacking expression.
When Rowntree signalled his intention to expand the province’s attacking game — getting Prendergast back from Racing 92 to oversee the revolution — it had a dramatic effect on Nash’s place in the pecking order. He has flourished in the past 18 months.
‘I think Prendy coming in, the game suits me a bit more and I feel like I’m a bit more involved, and I feel like that’s kind of the way Ireland are going as well, they want their wingers more involved,’ Nash noted in November 2022.
‘That’s kind of been a focus for me, being involved more, whether it’s showing up as an option off 10 or nine, just trying to be in different positions all the time.’
A lot was made of Keith Earls’ recent retirement but, in truth, he had been edged out of the matchday squad by Nash and Daly in recent times.
Nash shares many traits with Andrew Conway, another recently retired international wing. There is the same defensive solidity and calmness under the high ball. Like Conway, he is able to break a game wide open and Nash has genuine top-end pace.
Crucially, he is happy to roam around the field and make things happen. A role which has suited the chaotic energy of Hansen and James Lowe at Test level in recent seasons.
Now, Farrell has to plan for this Six Nations title defence without Hansen, a breakout star who has bagged nine tries in 21 appearances. Lowe is nearing a return from a foot injury but the Leinster wing has not seen action since the World Cup defeat by the All Blacks. Not ideal with the French tie looming large.
The Keenan-Lowe-Hansen axis has been set in stone for some time, but Farrell will now have to explore fresh options.
And Nash could quickly rise up the ranks. Jacob Stockdale has been making his case for a while. Is the Ulster wing the same force he was in 2018? There have been signs of a resurgence of late but Stockdale is very much a traditional wing who likes to hang out in the wide channels. Same goes for Robert Baloucoune who has been given a few opportunities with Ireland — most notably the autumn win against the Springboks in 2022 — without ever making a big statement.
Jimmy O’Brien is unfortunate to be ruled out of the Six Nations by injury, as he had looked to be the next cab off the rank. He impressed at the World Cup and his versatility, winning caps at centre, wing and full-back, would have been a huge asset.
Jordan Larmour is a winger with undoubted ability but doubts persist about his overall game and whether his style of play fits in the Irish system.
Nash seems to be ticking a lot more boxes than some of his more illustrious competitors.
A schools star in his younger days, he was tipped for the big time from a long way out. He suffered something of a mid-career slump and he has only really rediscovered his mojo over the past 18 months.
He has built a compelling case for further honours, mind you. Last season was his most prolific in a Munster shirt, with seven tries in 17 appearances including a touchdown in the URC Grand Final win in Cape Town.
He remains a lethal finisher. It’s the influence he has been having around the pitch which would have really impressed Farrell, however. Hansen is a unique talent and the Aussie-born speedster will be a huge loss ahead of the championship. Nash is the closest thing to a like-for-like replacement, mind you.
Farrell and the rest of the Ireland selectors are fans, too. Nash has been a familiar face around training camps for quite some time and toured with the Emerging Ireland squad at the beginning of the 2022/23 campaign. He was one of the few players to emerge with credit on a difficult night against a potent All Blacks XV a few months later.
Farrell will name his Six Nations training squad early next week and Nash has a big audition coming up. Munster travel to Stade Felix Mayol to face Toulon in a crunch Champions Cup encounter on Saturday. Livewire Les Bleus star Gabin Villiere is likely to be facing down Nash on the opposite wing. The pair could be facing each other again in the championship if the Munster man puts in a big shift against the French giants.
As a new World Cup cycle begins and Farrell rebuilds towards the next tournament in 2027, he will be looking for fresh faces to step up. The Ireland boss pitched an inexperienced Hansen into a Six Nations opener against the Welsh a few years ago and it worked out pretty well. Don’t be surprised if he takes a similar punt on Nash in a few weeks’ time.