Ireland's Aussie wing Mack Hansen makes post-game TV blunder

Australian wing Mack Hansen has scored a brace of tries for Ireland as they held off a spirited challenge from hosts Italy in Rome to claim a 34-20 bonus-point victory in the Six Nations and stayed on course for the grand slam.

Unbeaten Ireland, who top the Six Nations table with 15 points from three matches, looked as though they would run riot after four tries in the first 35 minutes on Saturday, with lock James Ryan, fullback Hugo Keenan and centre Bundee Aki all scoring before Hansen went over.

Italy took the game to their vaunted visitors though and ran the ball from all positions - sometimes naively - as they scored tries through halfback Stephen Varney and wing Pierre Bruno, but they could not convert when well-placed in the second half.

After Hansen dived over wide on the right five minutes before halftime, the Irish went into the break with a 24-17 lead.

But the game tightened up after the break with Italy flyhalf Paolo Garbisi superb in controlling the tempo for the home side, who continued to impress in defeat in this year's competition.

But Canberra's Hansen, who qualifies for Ireland through Cork-born mother, proved the decisive figure, slipping through the Italian defensive line nine minutes from time to ensure his side claimed a precious, albeit unconvincing, victory.

Yet it was after the game, in a pitchside interview with Irish television that Hansen really did drop the ball, dropping an F-bomb right at the end of his questions after accidentally kicking the microphone stand at the Stadio Olimpico.

Now for Hansen, the eyes are very much on what's next and the potential for silverware.

“We do talk about it,” Hansen said of a potential Grand Slam. “It’s hard to think about it too much because we do have to take it week by week.

“We can’t be thinking about England now, we can’t be thinking that we’ve already beaten Scotland, a really good Scotland team.

“We are going to have to go over Scotland and then go from there. Of course there’s a chance to win a Grand Slam from there. It probably will be in the back of a few people’s minds here and there but it’s still a thing you just have to take week by week.”