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Bundee Aki named to captain Ireland against Maori All Blacks
By Alex McLeod
Kiwi-born Ireland star Bundee Aki has been named to captain his side against the Maori All Blacks in Hamilton on Wednesday.
Aki will take charge of Ireland in the mid-week fixture, which is the first match of Ireland's highly-anticipated five-game tour of New Zealand.
The 32-year-old midfielder, who made his name with Counties Manukau and the Chiefs before joining Connacht in 2014, is one of several notable figures named by Ireland boss Andy Farrell for the non-capped match.
The match against the Maori All Blacks will act as Aki's first game back at FMG Stadium Waikato since he left the Chiefs eight years ago after he won the Super Rugby title with them in 2013.
Also included in the starting lineup is wings Keith Earls and Jordan Larmour, both of whom are mainstays in Ireland's frontline side.
Experienced prop Cian Healy, veteran halfback Conor Murray and test regulars Jack Conan, Joey Carbery, Finlay Bealham and Niall Scannell have also been named on the bench.
Carbery, the Munster first-five, is also a New Zealand-born product, while Scannell's inclusion in the match day side comes on the same day of his arrival in New Zealand as injury cover for fellow hooker Rob Herring.
A total of five uncapped players - loosehead prop Jeremy Loughman, lock Joe McCarthy, blindside flanker Cian Prendergast, first-five Ciaran Frawley and fullback Jimmy O'Brien - have been picked in Ireland's starting team.
The remainder of the run-on side is made up by hooker Dave Heffernan, tighthead prop Tom O'Toole, lock Kieran Treadwell, loose forwards Nick Timoney and Gavin Coombes, halfback Craig Casey and centre James Hume.
On the bench, lock Ryan Baird and fullback Michael Lowry join Ireland's experienced contingent in the reserves.
Kick-off for Wednesday's match between Ireland and the Maori All Blacks is scheduled for 7:05pm NZT [8:05am UTC+1].
Ireland team to play Maori All Blacks
1. Jeremy Loughman*
2. Dave Heffernan
3. Tom O'Toole
4. Joe McCarthy*
5. Kieran Treadwell
6. Cian Prendergast*
7. Nick Timoney
8. Gavin Coombes
9. Craig Casey
10. Ciaran Frawley*
11. Keith Earls
12. Bundee Aki (c)
13. James Hume
14. Jordan Larmour
15. Jimmy O'Brien*
Reserves
16. Niall Scannell
17. Cian Healy
18. Finlay Bealham
19. Ryan Baird
20. Jack Conan
21. Conor Murray
22. Joey Carbery
23. Michael Lowry
* - denotes uncapped player
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Latest Comments
Nah, that just needs some more variation. Chip kicks, grubber stabs, all those. Will Jordan showed a pretty good reason why the rush was bad for his link up with BB.
If you have an overlap on a rush defense, they naturally cover out and out and leave a huge gap near the ruck.
It also helps if both teams play the same rules. ARs set the offside line 1m past where the last mans feet were😅
Go to commentsYeah nar, should work for sure. I was just asking why would you do it that way?
It could be achieved by outsourcing all your IP and players to New Zealand, Japan, and America, with a big Super competition between those countries raking it in with all of Australia's best talent to help them at a club level. When there is enough of a following and players coming through internally, and from other international countries (starting out like Australia/without a pro scene), for these high profile clubs to compete without a heavy australian base, then RA could use all the money they'd saved over the decades to turn things around at home and fund 4 super sides of their own that would be good enough to compete.
That sounds like a great model to reset the game in Aus. Take a couple of decades to invest in youth and community networks before trying to become professional again. I just suggest most aussies would be a bit more optimistic they can make it work without the two decades without any pro club rugby bit.
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