Mack Hansen warns Wallabies about opting for New Zealander as he offers two coaching alternatives

Australian-born Mack Hansen has urged the Wallabies not to name a New Zealander as their new head coach after Eddie Jones left the job following the Rugby World Cup.

Jones departed recently after a disastrous year that concluded with an exit from the global tournament at the pool stage, which is a first for the Wallabies in their history.

Now they are on the look-out for a new head coach and New Zealander Joe Schmidt is rumoured to be the favourite for the post after success with Ireland and the All Blacks.

Hansen warning

However, Hansen warned the Wallabies about choosing a Kiwi for a third time – after Robbie Deans and Dave Rennie’s tenures – when asked to offer his view on the matter.

“I would like to see an Aussie back in charge,” the now Connacht and Ireland international favourite told Jim Hamilton’s ‘The Big Jim Show’ in a recent interview.

“For some reason, I don’t know what it is – I could be putting my foot in my mouth here – but whenever a New Zealand coach has been in charge, it just hasn’t seemed to click. Something about it just doesn’t seem right.

“At the end of the day, Joe Schmidt did get results and whatnot. As I said, I don’t know about that, a New Zealander [in charge of the Wallabies].”

Hansen floated former Brumbies head coach and current Leicester boss Dan McKellar as a possible home-grown option, another being ex-Connacht head coach Andy Friend.

“[Dan McKellar] was a coach of mine and I’ve seen what it’s like to be under him,” said the Ireland star.

“I wasn’t even playing much when Dan was in charge – thanks for that, Dan, by the way! I still loved and respected Dan a lot throughout the whole thing. There was times where I was frustrated with him and it was a bit sh*tty that I wasn’t playing.

“At the end of the day, he was a very good fella so it was easy to let it… not slide, but just get on with it and you know this is your job and things aren’t always going to go how you planned. I think he would have been a really good add to the team but I think he came out and said he’s not going to do that.

“There’s people like Bernie (Stephen Larkham), he didn’t really get his chance to go on and really have a crack at the system. I’d say he’d be a good candidate as well. Give him a crack at the top role. Brums have been doing well. He’s proven everywhere he’s gone that he’s done fairly well.”

Friend option

Hansen continued: “Friendy would be good. It would be interesting. I don’t know if he’d want to do it. I don’t know he’s at in his headspace. He’s just been on a jolly up for the last six months, running around in his camper van.

“Friendy, I found he’s the kind of figure that you want at the top; someone that you can respect and is a lot about family. I think it needs to be a core value. You need to be able to put away the coach’s hat every now and then and just be a good fella. I think Friendy is that.

“There’s a couple of good candidates out there. I kind of contradict myself because everyone got on with Dave Rennie very well. I wonder if they’d ever try throwing him back in there and if he’d want to do it.”

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