{"id":288031,"date":"2023-09-08T18:34:04","date_gmt":"2023-09-08T18:34:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportstoft.com\/?p=288031"},"modified":"2023-09-08T18:34:04","modified_gmt":"2023-09-08T18:34:04","slug":"mike-catt-denies-mack-hansen-is-left-out-due-to-disciplinary-reasons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportstoft.com\/rugby-union\/mike-catt-denies-mack-hansen-is-left-out-due-to-disciplinary-reasons\/","title":{"rendered":"Mike Catt denies Mack Hansen is left out due to disciplinary reasons"},"content":{"rendered":"
Mike Catt has denied that the surprise omission of Mack Hansen from the Irish team for their World Cup opener was for disciplinary reasons \u2013 while also refusing to respond to Danny Cipriani\u2019s sensational claims.<\/p>\n
Hansen will not feature in the match-day squad for tomorrow\u2019s clash with Romania in Bordeaux, and he is the only one of Andy Farrell\u2019s regulars, who are to fit to feature, not to make the 23.<\/p>\n
Other front-line stars like Josh van der Flier and Robbie Henshaw are on the bench, but Hansen has been left out altogether.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Farrell made clear at Thursday\u2019s team announcement that the winger wasn\u2019t injured, leading to speculation about a possible disciplinary reason.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The head coach had mentioned how some of his younger players had struggled with the environment in Biarritz ahead of their warm-up match against Samoa.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Mike Catt (pictured) has denied that\u00a0Mack Hansen was left out of the Ireland team for their World Cup opener because of disciplinary reasons\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
World No1 side Ireland will kick off their tournament against Romania on Saturday afternoon<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Hansen (middle) was left out because of squad rotation, according to Catt, who spoke on Friday afternoon<\/p>\n
But when Catt, Ireland\u2019s attack coach, was asked today if Hansen was out because of a discipline breach, he replied, \u2018Not at all, no\u2019.<\/p>\n
Catt had earlier suggested it was a simple matter of squad rotation.<\/p>\n
\u2018It\u2019s a long tournament first and foremost and there is making sure that we look after everybody,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n
\u2018In the same breath there is good competition in that area, too. There is nothing that Mack has done wrong. It\u2019s not that he, you know, he\u2019s performed badly at all.<\/p>\n
\u2018He\u2019s done exceptionally well in his pre-season games and like we say, it\u2019s a long competition and we need to keep people fresh too.\u2019<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Catt refused to entertain claims of a row between himself and Danny Cipriani (right) made in the latter’s autobiography<\/p>\n
Catt was much less forthcoming when asked about his place in Cipriani\u2019s sensational memoirs.<\/p>\n
Cipriani did not make the final England squad for the 2015 World Cup, in which Catt, along with Farrell, served as assistants to Stuart Lancaster.<\/p>\n
While he is heavily critical of the set-up in his newly released autobiography, Cipriani goes into particularly vivid detail about a row with Catt at a pre-tournament training camp, which he claimed ended with Catt screaming at him, \u2018As long as I\u2019m involved, you\u2019ll never play for England again\u2019.<\/p>\n
Asked if it was a distraction, Catt replied, \u2018Not at all, no\u2019. Pressed further on whether he had any thoughts on Cipriani\u2019s claims, Catt smiled and said, \u2018No\u2019.<\/p>\n
Source: Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Mike Catt DENIES Mack Hansen was left out of Ireland’s side for World Cup opener against Romania due to disciplinary reasons… and refuses to entertain […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":288030,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n