IRELAND HEAD COACH Andy Farrell said he expects to be able to continue calling on Bundee Aki and James Lowe beyond the end of the current season.

35-year-old Connacht centre Aki and 33-year-old wing Lowe’s contracts are due to expire this summer, but Ireland boss Farrell is confident that both will remain in Irish rugby beyond that point as the 2027 World Cup looms.

“Yes, I do,” said Farrell yesterday when asked if he expects Aki and Lowe to still be part of his plans into next season.

“Obviously, that’s not up to me to comment on, but I’m sure these things will get done down the line.”

Aki, whose current deal is an IRFU national contract, has lost his place as Ireland’s first-choice inside centre to Stuart McCloskey.

The Connacht man missed the opening three games of the Six Nations due to a suspension for verbal abuse and disrespect towards match officials after his province’s URC defeat to Leinster on 3 January.

Aki wasn’t picked in the matchday 23 for last weekend’s win over Wales, meaning he had only made two replacement appearances for Connacht in the past two months.

However, Farrell is backing the powerful centre to make an impact from the Irish bench in tomorrow’s Triple Crown decider against Scotland in Dublin.

“When it comes to big games, there’s a twinkle in some people’s eyes, you just know he’s going to turn up,” said Farrell. “Been there and done that as far as big weeks and preparation and all of that.”

“And on top of that, he’s been pretty good for us coming off the bench as far as energy is concerned. I’m sure he’ll bring more of that on Saturday.”

Lowe was injured against England. Billy Stickland / INPHO Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO

Lowe wasn’t picked by Farrell for the Six Nations opener against France, but he made an impressive return on the left wing in the win over Italy before starting again for the victory over England at Twickenham.

Lowe suffered a groin injury in the first half of that game, ending his Six Nations, and he has since undergone surgery to help solve the problem.

While he’s not available for this weekend’s big game in Dublin, the Leinster wing remains firmly in Farrell’s plans, along with Aki.

“They’ve been fantastic players for us, servants for Irish rugby, and will continue to be,” said Farrell of Lowe and Aki.

Scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park is another current Ireland player whose most recent publicly confirmed contract expires at the end of this season, but he is a hugely important figure in Farrell’s team and has expressed his desire to stay with Ireland and Leinster.

Gibson-Park turned 34 last month but Farrell is very confident that he, Lowe, and other senior Ireland players have some of their best rugby ahead of them.

And Aki is very much in that bracket.

“He never whinges about anything,” said Farrell of Aki. “He’s not somebody who’s minding his body at all.

“For me, the definition of age is somebody slowing down is somebody who’s minding their body, is somebody who can’t do what he used to do, someone who is doing more recovery, rehab, all that type of stuff, so something falls by the wayside on the rugby part that’s been so important to them like extra skill work or extra fitness work or whatever.

“If you look at Bundee or we talked about Jamison last week, as far as their attitude and the way they go about themselves around the place, they’re getting stronger and stronger.”