Ireland have been dealt a major blow ahead of their Six Nations opener with France, with the news that Bundee Aki is out of the squad due to a disciplinary issue.
Head coach Andy Farrell is already managing a squad ravaged with injuries, and now Aki is set to be added to that list of absentees.
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Reports this Wednesday suggest Aki will miss the game because of a “misconduct” allegation from the match officials after Connacht’s defeat to Leinster last Saturday, with the IRFU releasing a strong statement on the matter shortly after those reports broke.
Aki has not even travelled with Ireland to their training camp in Portugal, suggesting that his punishment may be of some severity.
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Bundee Aki to miss France v Ireland
Murray Kinsella of The 42 was the first to report on Wednesday that Bundee Aki will miss Ireland’s Six Nations opener in France next week. The URC would shortly thereafter confirm that Aki was facing disciplinary action for an incident after Saturday’s game between Connacht and Leinster at the newly-reopened Dexcom Stadium.
Aki was involved in multiple exchanges with referee Eoghan Cross after Connacht’s defeat in Galway, and is now facing an investigation into a potential rule breach.
The URC’s statement read:
Connacht Rugby’s Bundee Aki will appear in front of an Independent Disciplinary Committee in relation to a Misconduct Complaint made against him under the URC Disciplinary Rules.
After the Round 10 BKT United Rugby Championship fixture on Saturday, January 24 at Dexcom Stadium, Galway, the Player is alleged to have engaged with the match official team on several occasions in a manner which may be deemed to be in breach of the league’s Disciplinary Rules related to Misconduct (including Clause 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3).
An Independent Disciplinary Committee will meet today (Wednesday, January 28) to consider the complaint in accordance with the URC Disciplinary Rules. Roddy Dunlop KC (Scotland) will serve as Chair, with Attie Heyns (South Africa) and Andrea Caranci (Italy) completing the committee.
The IRFU would soon release a statement on the issue, which confirmed Aki is out of the Ireland squad, and adding that the IRFU has launched its own disciplinary hearing into the incident.
“The IRFU can confirm that Bundee Aki has not travelled with the Men’s senior squad to Portugal for disciplinary reasons,” the statement read.
“The IRFU does not tolerate any form of disrespect shown towards match officials and does not condone actions that fall below the standards expected of players representing Irish rugby.
“The IRFU are investigating the matter further internally and no additional comment will be made at this time.
The association would also confirm that Ulster’s uncapped centre Jude Postlethwaite has been called up to the squad to replace Aki.
It will be a major blow to Andy Farrell should Aki be forced to miss the Six Nations.
Though Aki’s form has dipped over the past 12 months, he has been a regular for Andy Farrell over the past number of years.
A number of experienced internationals have already been forced out of contention, with Mack Hansen, Ryan Baird, Andrew Porter and Paddy McCarthy ruled out of the foreseeable future.
We await the results of Bundee Aki’s disciplinary hearing later on Wednesday.
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