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Bundee Aki on high alert for threat of Scotland ambush with 'freakish athlete'
By PA
In-form centre Bundee Aki knows Scotland pose a “massive threat” to Ireland’s Rugby World Cup aspirations due to his experiences with the British and Irish Lions.
Connacht centre Aki has been one of the standout performers of the tournament so far and helped his side to the cusp of the quarter-finals with four tries across three successive Pool B wins.
Yet the world’s top-ranked nation could still suffer early elimination at the hands of the Scots on Saturday evening in Paris.
New Zealand-born Aki played alongside “freakish athlete” Duhan Van Der Merwe during the 2021 Lions tour of South Africa, in addition to the likes of fly-half Finn Russell and midfield rival Chris Harris.
Speaking of Edinburgh wing Van Der Merwe, he said: “He’s actually a good lad, I got along with Duhan very well.
“Obviously on the pitch he’s a freakish athlete. He can make something out of nothing, he’s quick, he’s strong, the threat that he poses for Scotland is unbelievable.
“And not just him. You’ve got the likes of Darcy (Graham), Finn and the rest of their backline, Chris Harris. They’re unbelievable athletes.
“We’ve got our hands full this weekend and they’re going to be a massive threat for us.”
Ireland head coach Andy Farrell is due to name his team for the weekend on Thursday afternoon.
Aki is expected to once again partner Garry Ringrose, while fellow Lions centre Robbie Henshaw is a doubt due to a niggle.
The 33-year-old is braced for a demanding midfield battle.
“Their midfield has some world-class players,” Aki said of Scotland.
“You’ve got Sione Tuipulotu who is running amok around there, the likes of Chris Harris and Huw Jones, jeez I could talk all about their running lines, their gas and speed, the defensive side of things.
“They’re playing unbelievably well, so we have to make sure we as a group know what’s coming ahead of us and make sure that we’re on top of our game.”
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They also use a far more consistent scale.
Rugby pass seem to have a different scale for each player based on the authors expectations or how much he likes them.
Can't fathom how Moodie and Reece both were a 3.
Go to commentsYes for sure, thanks for sharing. I fully understand that both parties are better off, no one needs to lose, neither competition suffers, in fact both can be better as a result.
Too many true rugby fans (and analysts) don't understand that.
I wouldn't imagine there is a date aye. It was a long decline rugby in SA and Australia was going through, and was so bad it even effected NZ, caused them to argue to can a couple of teams. The nation of SA probably grew into it? I know I watch more of the NH now specifically because of the SR teams playing there. I actually had to mention to Nick Bishop (because of his stubborn perspective) the other day that I've never been a fan of Super Rugby, I don't think they chose the right way to go about professionalism back in 1995. Unfortunately, NZR was stuck between a rock and a hard place, because it had SA's and Australians that ran their unions by States, so we had to separate into "two or three" teams as a result. Our game is in the kak now because of it, they want to kill off the lifeblood of our National Provincial Championship. But now we might see a way out of it, so it's all good.
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