Aki set to roar as a Lion

By Rob Murphy

Ahead of next month’s British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa, Bundee Aki has revealed how he received the news of his call up last month, and provided plenty of insight into what it means to him at this stage of a storied career in the west of Ireland.

“I called my wife, shed a few tears on the phone, went home, shed a few more tears. Just for the sacrifices we’ve done as a family to get to where we are at the moment. I called my mam and dad, they couldn’t have been happier or more proud of what I’ve achieved since I left New Zealand,” says the Connacht centre.

The 31-years-old arrived in Galway in October 2014 to team up with Pat Lam, who was in his second season in charge of the province at that point. He had scored 10 tries in 25 appearances in his final season for the Waikato-based Chiefs and arrived here with a lot of hope among supporters that he could become a key player for the province. He has surpassed those expectations by some distance.

“I wouldn’t be where I am now if it wasn’t for the help of the community. When I first arrived, they made me feel at home, the support that we’ve had from the day we arrived here in Galway, the organisation here in Connacht who have been so good to me.

“A lot of people have been sending me stuff here and there, it’s overwhelming to have that effect on this small community, getting messages and letters from people I don’t know, the community that I live in in Oranmore putting up signs, and it just shows how grateful I am to be part of a small community regardless of where I came from.

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