If anyone can relate to what Bundee Aki is going through, it would be Joe Schmidt.
The Ireland coach has been living and working in Ireland since 2010. Before than, he spent two years back in the 1980s teaching and coaching rugby in Mullingar. Nine of his 55 years have been spent on these shores and he is officially an Irish citizen yet we still refer to him as a Kiwi.
Schmidt is merely coaching Ireland and selecting the best players available to him under World Rugby rules. One of those players is Bundee Aki, who like CJ Stander, Rob Herring and Jared Payne before him, has become Irish-qualified after spending three years living and playing here. The rules will soon change to 60 months residency [from 36] but, for now, Aki is good to go.
Aki was selected in the Ireland team to face South Africa and Schmidt says his easy combination with Robbie Henshaw in training was noticeable from the get-go. He comments:
“Bundee brings a calmness actually, he has some really good experience in some pretty high-level games.
“He’s very experienced playing against the southern teams, I know Jared Payne made his debut against South Africa in a similar sort of situation. That familiarity probably gives us a little bit more confidence in knowing what, when and how things are likely to occur.”
The talk about Aki being allowed to play for Ireland, where he has worked damned hard and improved standards all around him since his arrival in October 2014, should fade away as soon as he makes that first line break, offload or big tackle against South Africa.
Until then, his name crops up time and again.
Schmidt was left to deliver the best line on the whole Aki debate since his place in the squad was confirmed late last month. He says:
“Sometimes where you’re born is less relevant than where you’re invested over the last period of time.
“I think Bundee has invested incredibly well in the west. They have benefited from his commitment, his ability and his durability.
“It’s sometimes an unfortunate distraction, I do feel a little bit of sympathy for Bundee himself. He’s just doing what he loves doing, and what he’s good at. We just hope it doesn’t distract him. There’s no doubt in the players’ minds, that they are excited to have him in the group.”
Henshaw certainly backs up his coach on the final point.
“He’s a class player, and I enjoy playing off him and feeding off him,” he says. “He’s added real value to our group, and the boys are really looking forward to expressing himself against the Springboks.”
“I know him so well,” Henshaw continues. “He’s a great friend of mine, so it’s exciting to have him in and a player like that can only improve our team. We want to be as good as we can be.”
