No sooner were we celebrating Bundee Aki refocusing himself on the jobs at hand with Connacht then terrible news emerges from the West.
Aki, who had a superb game in the 20-18 win over Wasps, will now be out of action for at least six weeks.
The province confirmed, this afternoon, that their star centre will soon go under the knife to correct an ongoing ankle issue.
Bundee Aki will undergo surgery this week for an ongoing ankle injury and will return in mid-February. pic.twitter.com/9wNXH8rgL4
— Connacht Rugby (@connachtrugby) December 22, 2016
Aki was one of the main driving forces behind Connacht’s Guinness PRO12 title win last season and kicked off where he left off in this campaign. He has played key roles in victories over Toulouse, Wasps and Zebre.
The 26-year-old Kiwi will now miss Connacht’s festive PRO12 games against Ulster and Munster as well as Champions Cup ties at home to Zebre and, crucially, away to Toulouse.
Pat Lam’s men are in with a genuine shout of reaching the knock-out stages of Europe’s elite club competition for the first time so an injury to their backline talisman is the last thing they need.
Aki has played 12 times for Connacht this season and has scored two tries. He brings much, much more than scores so his presence will be sorely missed.
Rory Parata and Danie Poolman will form a new midfield partnership for Friday’s league game at Kingspan Stadium.
The Connacht team to face Ulster at Kingspan Stadium tomorrow night #GUINNESSPRO12 #ULSvCON pic.twitter.com/l1txiVEEk0
— Connacht Rugby (@connachtrugby) December 22, 2016
