Mack Hansen warns Lions of potential Western Force upset

British & Irish Lions winger Mack Hansen has urged his teammates to be on full alert ahead of their next tour fixture against Western Force in Perth, warning that upsets are part of the Lions' history and could strike again if focus slips.

Hansen, born in Australia and raised in Canberra, vividly recalled a previous Lions slip-up that left a mark on him growing up.

“I was at that Brumbies game with my dad and brother and the Brumbies beat the Lions, so these things do happen,” Hansen said.

“We were sitting behind the goalposts watching it. It was mad.”

The 2013 loss to the Brumbies was the Lions’ first against provincial opposition in 16 years. Hansen believes the same fighting spirit could motivate the Western Force on Saturday.

“They’ll be coming out thinking ‘we can cause an upset.’

"That’s what we would be thinking if we were in their shoes. None of the games are going to be easy.”

The Lions are still reeling from their narrow 28-24 defeat to Argentina in Dublin—a loss Hansen said served as a timely wake-up call.

“If anything, it’s good to feel it early and then we know that we’ll get our heads absolutely chewed off if it happens again, so the plan is to win from here on out.”

His message was clear: self-inflicted mistakes are the biggest danger.

“The only thing that can beat us is us really.”

Hansen embraced the physical toll of the Lions tour, calling it a necessary challenge that sharpens performance under pressure.

“When you get that time after time after time… it will take its toll on us, but that’s a good thing. It makes us better and it makes the game more exciting.”