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Bundee Aki

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Bundee Aki
Birth nameBundee Aki
Date of birth (1990-04-07) 7 April 1990 (age 34)
Place of birthAuckland, New Zealand
Height1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight101 kg (15 st 13 lb)
SchoolManurewa High School
SpouseKayla Aki
Rugby union career
Position(s) Centre
Current team Connacht
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2014– Connacht 41 (35)
Correct as of 6 June 2016
Provincial / State sides
Years Team Apps (Points)
2011–2014 Template:Rut Counties Manukau 41 (50)
Correct as of 13 October 2014
Super Rugby
Years Team Apps (Points)
2013–2014 Template:Rut Chiefs 26 (45)
Correct as of 21 July 2014

Bundee Aki (born 7 April 1990) is a rugby union player from New Zealand. He plays primarily at centre. Aki currently plays for Irish provincial side Connacht in the Pro12. Previously, he has played for New Zealand provincial team Counties Manukau and for the Chiefs in Super Rugby.

Aki has won a Super Rugby title with Chiefs and a Pro12 title with Connacht. In 2015–16, Connacht's title-winning season, Aki was named the league's player of the season.

Early life

Aki was born in the Auckland suburb of Otahuhu.[1] He was a student at Manurewa High School in the city, where he played for the school's rugby team. Aki took a year out from pursuing a professional rugby career in 2011, when he worked as a bank teller at Westpac to earn the money for his young family.[2]

Rugby career

Career in New Zealand

Counties Manukau

Aki began playing for Counties Manukau in the 2011 season. He made nine appearances for the side with five of these coming as starts, scoring three tries as they finished fourth in the Championship Division of the 2011 ITM Cup.[3] In the 2012 ITM Cup, Aki played 11 of the team's 12 games, starting on each occasion and scoring six tries.[3] Counties Manukau finished top of the Championship Division and won their play-off games against Southland and Otago, which earned the side promotion to the following year's Premiership Division.[4]

With Counties promoted to the Premiership Division, Aki played in all ten of their regular season games in the 2013 ITM Cup, starting eight of these, as the team qualified for the play-offs on their return to the top flight.[3] He also started in the team's play-off semi-final, a 41–10 defeat to Wellington.[5] Aki scored one try during the course of the season, with the score coming against Tasman in a 20–40 defeat.[6]

2014 was Aki's final season with Counties, as it had been announced earlier in the year that he would be leaving New Zealand to join Irish side Connacht. He started all ten games as Counties fifth, two points outside the playoff places, in the 2014 ITM Cup, but did not score any points.[3] Aki's final appearance for Counties Manukau came in the team's 41–18 victory over Auckland on 8 October 2014.[7]

Chiefs

In September 2012, it was announced that Aki had signed for reigning Super Rugby champions the Chiefs, having been part of the side's development set up previously.[8] Aki came into the team for the 2013 Super Rugby season. He played in 13 of the side's 18 regular season games, starting 12 of these and scoring five tries, as Chiefs finished top of the table.[3] Aki also featured for the team in the play-offs coming off the bench after 48 minutes against Crusaders in the semi-final, and after 46 minutes in the final against the Brumbies as Chiefs won their second title in a row.[9][10]

Aki played ten times for Chiefs in the regular season of the 2014 season, starting seven of these matches and scoring three tries.[3] Chiefs finished sixth in the final standings of the league season, the final qualifying spot for the competition's play-off rounds. Aki started in the Chiefs' quarter-final game against the Brumbies, a replay of the previous year's final. Aki scored his fourth try of the season, but finished on the losing side as the Brumbies won the game by 32–30.[11] This was Aki's final game for the Chiefs, as it had been announced earlier in the year that he would be moving to Irish side, Connacht.[12]

Connacht

Aki signed for Connacht in April 2014 ahead of the 2014–15 season. This move made him the second Chiefs player in as many years to join Connacht, following the transfer of captain Craig Clarke the previous season.[12][13] On 25 October 2016, Aki signed a new contract to remain at Connacht until 2020; he will become eligible to play for Ireland upon completing three years of residence in the country in October 2017.[14]

Honours

Chiefs Rugby

Connacht Rugby

References

  1. ^ "Player Profiles: Bundee Aki". Counties Manukau Rugby Football Union. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  2. ^ "Rugby: Bundee looks to fit the bill". The New Zealand Herald. 20 January 2013. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Player statistics - club stats: Bundee Aki". Itsrugby. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  4. ^ "Counties-Manukau win promotion to premiership". Radio New Zealand. 26 October 2012. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  5. ^ "Wellington 41 - 10 Counties Manukau". The New Zealand Herald. 18 October 2013. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  6. ^ "Counties Manukau 20 – 40 Tasman". Ultimate Rugby. 30 August 2013. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  7. ^ "Counties Manukau 41 - 18 Auckland". The New Zealand Herald. 8 October 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  8. ^ "Super Rugby champions the Chiefs sign Counties Manukau centre Bundee Aki". Sky Sports Rugby. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  9. ^ "MATCH BREAKDOWN: Chiefs vs Crusaders". SA Rugby. 27 July 2013. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  10. ^ "MATCH BREAKDOWN: Chiefs vs Brumbies". SA Rugby. 3 August 2013. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  11. ^ "BRUMBIES END CHIEFS' TITLE RUN". SANZAR. 19 July 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  12. ^ a b "Connacht announce signing of Super XV winner Bundee Aki". Irish Independent. 12 April 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  13. ^ "Connacht sign centre Bundee Aki" (Press release). Connacht Rugby. 12 April 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  14. ^ "Confirmed: Bundee Aki agrees bumper long-term deal with Connacht while Ultan Dillane signs new two year contract". Irish Independent. 26 October 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
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