By:
Conor Martin
Ireland have moved to play down suggestions that Bundee Aki’s international career is in doubt following the four-match ban imposed on the Connacht centre for misconduct towards match officials after last weekend’s URC defeat to Leinster.
Aki was left behind as the Ireland squad travelled to Portugal for a warm-weather training camp ahead of next Thursday’s Six Nations opener against France in Paris, with tighthead prop Tadhg Furlong a major injury concern.
The 35-year-old will miss the opening three rounds of the championship due to suspension, ruling him out of games against France, Italy and England. However, he will be free to return for the final two fixtures, both at Aviva Stadium, against Wales and Scotland.
Ireland sources have insisted the door remains open for Aki, who has won 68 caps and was a central figure in last year’s Grand Slam campaign.
Andy Farrell & Ireland could call upon Bundee Aki during the Six Nations
Whether Andy Farrell opts to reintegrate the powerful centre later in the tournament remains uncertain, but Aki will once again be eligible for selection once his ban has been served, keeping him firmly in the Six Nations picture rather than phasing him out of the green jersey.
But judging by Ireland assistant coach Andrew Goodman’s two cents on the matter, he said: “Of course, a player of Bundee’s calibre that’s done great things in the Irish jersey before will definitely be considered.
“But for now, we’re working with the guys that we’ve got, and when you look at Jude Postlethwaite coming into the camp for the first time and the excitement that he’s shown over these first couple of days.
“We’ve got Tom Farrell, obviously, who made his debut in November, who’s been consistently good for Munster. Ringer (Garry Ringrose) and then obviously Stu (McCloskey), who for us in November, was one of our standout players. They’re really ready to go and we’re working with them and looking forward to that.”
Ireland see respect for officials as non-negotiable
Goodman also emphasised the importance of respect for officials that Irish players must show and that Aki will get all the relevant support from Ireland as he serves his ban: ” I can’t give you too much detail on the actual incident”, Goodman continued.
“But first of all, I’d say that we know respect is a massive part of the game we play, and referees are obviously a big part of that as well. So, we take that very seriously.
“The other thing is that we’ve got huge support for Bundee. I’ve worked with him for the last couple of years, but I’ve known him a lot longer than that, so I know he’s a great character and he’s made a mistake, and we’re going to help him work through it. And, yeah, that’s all I’ll say about that.”
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