League: Kiwi with an odd accent ready to face his mates

When Harrison Hansen declared himself a Kiwi, coach Brian McClennan gave him a nod, shook his hand and, much like the old codger off the Speight's ads, uttered, "good on ya, mate".

With that, Hansen affirmed his allegiance and mapped out what he hopes will be a long and successful career with the Kiwis. That's the theory, anyway.

It's a theory that had been in some doubt given the fact he has spent 15 of his 20 years living in the UK and had turned out for the England under-18 side that took on the Junior Kiwis at North Harbour in 2004.

When Hansen's name was unexpectedly included recently in McClennan's squad of 22 to take on Great Britain in St Helens on Wednesday morning, there was a cacophony of displeasure promulgated by sections of the British press.

One even proclaimed New Zealand had "pinched" Hansen from Great Britain by naming him in the side that will assemble in St Helens tonight.

"Yeah, pinch, that was a good one," Hansen said with a chuckle from his home in Wigan. "People just assumed I would play for Great Britain but I always had it in my mind that I wanted to play for New Zealand."

He might have had it in mind because of his father, a certain Shane Hansen. That's the same Shane Hansen who played for Marist, Northcote and Auckland in the 1980s (and might have played for the Kiwis except for a drunken incident when he fell off a chair in front of the Kiwi selectors) before he was picked up by Salford.

Harrison was five years old when the Hansen family moved. Speaking with a broad Lancashire accent and playing for Wigan, he was seen as British property.

"I'd have tried to talk him out of it [if he decided to play for Great Britain]," Shane Hansen said. "It wouldn't be the same. I'm as proud a Kiwi as there is."

Father and son still often get up early on Saturday mornings, like they did more than a decade ago, and watch either the All Blacks or Kiwis. Father will also be watching son if he gets some game time against Great Britain on Wednesday.

Although McClennan has lost Iosia Soliola and Fui Fui Moi Moi (both unavailable) and Greg Eastwood and Logan Swann (both injured) from his original 22-man squad, Harrison is a doubtful starter considering he hasn't played for three months since fracturing his leg and tearing ankle ligaments.

The Kiwis coach, though, has made no secret of the fact Wednesday's 'test' is important to him for developmental reasons and was keen to introduce Harrison to the Kiwis set-up a year before the World Cup.

"When he said he wanted to play for the Kiwis, it was good news because he's a good, young talent and we have a responsibility to develop young talent to have them ready in two or three years," McClennan said. "By introducing the likes of Harrison and Ben Roberts, and we had hoped to play Greg Eastwood, we are giving ourselves a greater net of players."

Hansen started as a fullback for his local Salford club, Folly Lane, but switched to the forwards as a 15-year-old as he gained size and lost pace. He was picked up by Wigan a year later and made his first-team debut for the glamour club in 2004 as an 18-year-old.

Last year, he was selected for the England A side which took on the Kiwis but withdrew to "keep my options open" in the hope of one day receiving a Kiwis call-up.

That call came sooner than expected - not that Harrison is complaining. "It would be great to be involved but just being part of the experience is fine," he said. "I am being recognised now so it sets me up for the future.

"It would be pretty unreal to play against Great Britain. I imagine it would be a funny feeling to do the haka in front of my [Wigan] team-mates."

He might do it with an English accent and the familiar surroundings of Knowsley Road in St Helens but it will definitely be with black blood running through his veins.