Sports
Connacht’s wind-beaten Kiwi looking forward to PRO12 rematch with Scarlets
BUNDEE Aki roars laughing when he’s asked about the origin of his name. In fairness, it’s unusual: There aren’t many Bundees strolling around the hills of Connemara or streets of Galway city.
The New Zealander with Samoan roots explains he was named after the doctor who delivered him. “It doesn’t mean anything, my mum was a bit too kind letting the doctor name me!”
He adds: “My coaches, when I first started playing rugby, called me Bundee because my other name was too long.”
But what is the longer version of the shortened Bundee? “No-one knows it so I’m not going to say,” he says, laughing again.
It all adds to the mystique surrounding the centre who has struck up a solid midfield partnership with Robbie Henshaw since joining Connacht at the beginning of last season.
He’s laughing again when asked what he doesn’t like about Galway. The 25-year-old swivels his head round and nods disapprovingly at the window of the Sportsground press centre. “The weather,” he says, as the tail-end of Storm Jonas rages outside. “I’m real bad with the weather. When it gets windy I just don’t like it. Last night I thought my roof was going to come off!”
Aki likes it here, though. “I’m enjoying my time here in Galway. I’m settling really well. People here are really good, really friendly. There’s nothing better than coming into a town with lovely people.”
Aki, touted as a future Ireland international, will qualify through residency when his three year contract expires at the end of next season.
“I’ve said it many times: I do have ambitions to play international, I really do, but right now, I’ve just got to focus on my team here, and my main focus is trying to get them into Champions Cup, which I really want to play in. Hopefully we get there at the end of this year,” he says.
Aki is looking forward to this Saturday’s rematch with league leaders Scarlets at the Sportsground (3pm), particularly given the manner in which Connacht surrendered a lead to the same opposition in Wales a few weeks ago.
Rectifying that is “a big motivation,” says Aki. “There’s a lot at stake. For us to be on top of the table, we have to beat them. Obviously we want to qualify ourselves for Champions Cup rugby and to do that we have to get past this hurdle.”
That gut-wrenching loss could yet come back to haunt Connacht but head coach Pat Lam says he won’t be mentioning it this week to the players for motivation.“I don’t think I really need to,” he says.
“Probably the most frustrating thing coming out of that game was we felt we did everything we needed to win the game but we didn’t win the game. And as I said after, we only had ourselves to blame. We had opportunities to win the game comfortably, and then we had an opportunity to close the game out and we didn’t do either of those things and that caused a real sense of frustration after that game.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GALWAY United need to guard against any kind of complacency when they make the short hop down the M18 this Friday to take on Treaty United at the Markets Field (7.45pm).
The game is a meeting of the two form teams in the division, and as in previous meetings between the sides, will have an additional edge given the number of former United players in the home side’s ranks, and the pair of Limerick lads playing for United.
There might have been just the eight meetings between the sides since Treaty became the latest iteration to represent Limerick in the League of Ireland in 2021, and while United have yet to lose to the men in the candy-cane strips, there has never been more than a goal in four of their eight wins.
The most recent of those was back in February, when Rob Slevin scored the only goal of the game in Eamonn Deacy Park after a tough battle against a side who made a slow start to the season, before finally finding their groove in the past month.
Having taken just three points from their first six games before finally getting a win against Longford Town, they reverted to type with just one point from their next three games, but are now on a run of four wins on the spin, scoring 12 goals and conceding just one.
Their most recent win was a 3-0 victory away to Longford Town last Saturday, and they could have won by double that against the only side to have beaten United this season. That in itself is a warning.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Soccer Wrap with Mike Rafferty
While the Salthill Devon men’s team might have lost their grip on the Connacht Junior Cup that they held for two seasons, the club’s women’s side have picked up the mantle and on Sunday last in Headford were crowned provincial champions with a 4-3 win over Manulla.
Following midweek wins for Maree/Oranmore and Knocknacarra, the stage is now almost set for the semi-finals of the Michael Byrne Cup with Salthill Devon meeting St Bernard’s on Sunday in an outstanding quarter-final, with the winners advancing to a semi-final against Maree/Oranmore, while Colga will face Knocknacarra in the other last four contest.
Just one league issue remains to be decided, with the Championship runners-up position up for grabs, as Dynamo Blues have to win their two remaining games in order to overtake Colemanstown United who have finished their programme.
WOMEN’S CONNACHT CUP FINAL
Salthill Devon 4
Manulla 3
Ellerose O’Flaherty scored twice as Salthill Devon were crowned provincial champions with a win over a Mayo side who were losing in the final for the second year in succession.
Backboned by a number of players who previously had League of Ireland experience with Galway WFC, Devon suffered an early set back when Jess Nolan put Manulla ahead, before O’Flaherty levelled matters with a cracking finish on 20 minutes, which was quickly followed by a long-range free-kick from Aoife Walsh.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
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