IRELAND HEAD COACH Andy Farrell has reiterated that Bundee Aki will remain in consideration for the closing two rounds of the Six Nations when he has served his suspension.
The Connacht centre was banned for four games, including the three opening rounds of the Six Nations, for verbal abuse of and disrespect towards the match officials after his province’s recent URC defeat to Leinster.
Aki was dropped from the Ireland squad before the disciplinary hearing into the incidents had begun, with the IRFU issuing a strong statement to underline that it would not tolerate disrespect towards officials and “does not condone actions that fall below the standards expected of players representing Irish rugby.”
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That unusual step led to some speculation that Aki might not return to the Ireland squad after his ban, but that was quickly dismissed by the Irish camp.
Head coach Farrell yesterday underlined that they will consider the 35-year-old when he is available again.
“It was a big blow for any team, not just by his talent as a player, but his presence, his experience and all of that,” said Farrell of Aki.
“I was privy to what was going on behind the scenes, but I wasn’t being told what was happening, and I didn’t know what was happening as far as the URC or the hearing, so I was told along the way what needed to happen.
“I spoke to Bundee and he’s certainly sorry for what happened. He’s apologised to the right people and he’ll be working hard at home.
“If needed, he’ll certainly be available for us down the track.”
Farrell also took the chance to stress that discipline will be an important area for Ireland to improve in the Six Nations, having slipped there in recent times.
“There’s always learnings from that, and we’ve talked about it as a group,” said Farrell.
“We’ve talked about discipline a lot in the coming weeks in regards to how the game’s changing, etc.
“So, we need to get it back to being a point of difference for us, because it’s not long ago that it was.”
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'Bundee's certainly sorry' - Farrell says Ireland could call on Aki
IRELAND HEAD COACH Andy Farrell has reiterated that Bundee Aki will remain in consideration for the closing two rounds of the Six Nations when he has served his suspension.
The Connacht centre was banned for four games, including the three opening rounds of the Six Nations, for verbal abuse of and disrespect towards the match officials after his province’s recent URC defeat to Leinster.
Aki was dropped from the Ireland squad before the disciplinary hearing into the incidents had begun, with the IRFU issuing a strong statement to underline that it would not tolerate disrespect towards officials and “does not condone actions that fall below the standards expected of players representing Irish rugby.”
That unusual step led to some speculation that Aki might not return to the Ireland squad after his ban, but that was quickly dismissed by the Irish camp.
Head coach Farrell yesterday underlined that they will consider the 35-year-old when he is available again.
“It was a big blow for any team, not just by his talent as a player, but his presence, his experience and all of that,” said Farrell of Aki.
“I was privy to what was going on behind the scenes, but I wasn’t being told what was happening, and I didn’t know what was happening as far as the URC or the hearing, so I was told along the way what needed to happen.
“I spoke to Bundee and he’s certainly sorry for what happened. He’s apologised to the right people and he’ll be working hard at home.
“If needed, he’ll certainly be available for us down the track.”
Farrell also took the chance to stress that discipline will be an important area for Ireland to improve in the Six Nations, having slipped there in recent times.
“There’s always learnings from that, and we’ve talked about it as a group,” said Farrell.
“We’ve talked about discipline a lot in the coming weeks in regards to how the game’s changing, etc.
“So, we need to get it back to being a point of difference for us, because it’s not long ago that it was.”
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