Bundee Aki Addresses Argentina Squad Omission

Ireland centre Bundee Aki, who had started alongside Garry Ringrose in the midfield against New Zealand, acknowledged that his display in that game “just wasn’t good enough,” leading to his exclusion from the matchday squad for the Argentina fixture last week. Robbie Henshaw replaced Aki as the sole alteration to the starting lineup for the 22-19 victory against the Pumas. However, Aki, representing Connacht, will return to the number 12 jersey for Saturday’s match against Fiji at the Aviva Stadium. He stated, “I think we have high standards for each other, we have high standards as a group and we know for a fact – well, I know for a fact, speaking from my own experience from the New Zealand game – it just wasn’t good enough.” Aki, who was a World Rugby player of the year nominee in 2023, further mentioned that he accepted Farrell’s decision “on the chin” and observed the intense competition for his position within the Ireland squad. He described his relationship with Farrell, saying, “It’s a healthy, honest relationship with Faz.” “You take it on the chin and you’ve just got to be better and take the opportunity of the week to nullify your mistakes and to be a better person and to be a better rugby player.” Last weekend, Garry Ringrose and Henshaw were in the starting lineup, while Jamie Osborne has made a strong impression over his four caps so far, and Stuart McCloskey has not yet played this autumn. Aki commented, “The two boys who played last weekend were unbelievable.” He concluded, “You’ve still got the likes of big Stu, the likes of Jamie Osborne, lads are coming through and the lads put up a big challenge last week and it’s up to myself to be able to put my best foot forward and to step up another notch. “It’s always good to have that competition with us.””