Rugby World Cup winner Conrad Smith has said that Ireland centre Bundee Aki was highly rated in New Zealand but was a player who was just unfortunate not to have been selected by the All Blacks.
Aki moved to the west of Ireland from the Waikato Chiefs in 2014 and won a PRO12 title with Connacht in 2016 before winning a Grand Slam with Ireland in 2018.
The 27-year-old also won a Super Rugby title in his final season with the Chiefs in 2013 and Smith said that he’s improved as player since leaving New Zealand.
“He’s doing the same sort of things really well,” said Smith, a 94 cap centre, on the latest episode of The Hard Yards.
“Great with ball into contact, getting arms free to offload but he’s obviously developed as everyone does. He’s played a lot, he’s developed things to his game but when he was in New Zealand he was highly regarded.
“You talk about some players that weren’t picked – like Hadleigh Parkes for example – he was struggling to get into a Super team but you see how good he’s gone since he moved to Wales.
“But Bundee was someone highly regarded but he’s made his decision to leave and it’s worked out quite well for him.”
Aki has enjoyed his time with Ireland and provided an insight into the mentality of Joe Schmidt’s side with regards to selection.
“As you can see in our team there’s a lot of quality players, you can’t take anything for granted,” said Aki after the Italy win.
“So you’ve got to keep going, keep playing and make sure you keep improving and making sure you’re putting your hand up to fight for that spot again.
“You’re never stamped into a team. It’s all about just doing your job properly. But I’m definitely enjoying it.”
