Robbie Henshaw will be one of first names on Warren Gatland’s list, says old pal Bundee Aki

Bundee Aki says Robbie Henshaw will be one of the first names on Warren Gatland’s team sheet when the Lions take on New Zealand this summer.

Aki and Henshaw were Connacht team-mates for two seasons, helping Pat Lam’s men make history last season by defeating Leinster in the Guinness PRO12 Grand Final to win the western province’s first ever senior silverware.

But while Connacht have gone backwards since, Henshaw’s stock has continued to soar since making the move to Leo Cullen’s Leinster side.

He’s one of the first names in Joe Schmidt’s Ireland XV, and after playing his part in last November’s win over New Zealand in Chicago, Aki believes he’s a cert to try help the Lions do the same in June and July.

“He will play in the summer, without a doubt,” he said.

“He’s been playing phenomenally in the Six Nations and when you see the way he played against the All Blacks in Chicago and in Dublin, before his injury, I have full confidence in him.

“I keep in touch with him, I’m watching his games, he’s playing really well, he’s playing phenomenally. His game is just getting better and better.”

Should Gatland select Johnny Sexton at No. 10 ahead of Owen Farrell, the England and Saracens man could move to inside-centre, with Henshaw potentially moving to his preferred No. 13 shirt.

Aki, who wore No. 12 when he partnered Henshaw in the Connacht midfield, backed his friend to fit in anywhere.

“Looking at the names who keep popping up for the Lions XV, there’s a lot of quality players, but he can play 12 or 13, he can play fullback as well,” Aki said.

“The work-rate he does on and off the ball in a game is what he’s about, he just works hardly really.

“Even at training when we were at Connacht last year, he just wanted to improve and I can see it in him now as a player.

“Whatever he does and whatever his role is for whichever team I’m sure he does it to the best of his ability.”

If things had gone differently, Aki could have been lining out against Henshaw this summer in an All-Black shirt, but there’s still a chance he could line out alongside Henshaw in green.

The New Zealand-born midfielder becomes eligible for Ireland this September, after reaching the three-year period required under World Rugby’s residency rules, but he has so far refused to declare for Joe Schmidt’s men, with New Zealand and Samoa also options.

“I have been asked this question a few times and I know people think I have been thinking about it but I really haven’t,” he said. “I’ve only just come back from injury. All I want to do is keep my performance up to a high standard. That’s all I can do.

“Ireland have quality players. Jeez, they have a lot of good players there. I can’t parachute my way in there. I got to just put my head down and do what I want to do, perform week in week out, perform consistently. When the time arises it arises, but for the moment my focus is just Connacht.”

Aki claims he doesn’t know how he will come to a decision, but says looking at the likes of Henshaw and partner Garry Ringrose will not be part of the process.

“I wouldn’t really look at others, I just need to focus on myself,” he said.

“When you focus on other people that’s when it goes wrong. You have to focus on how you can get better. As soon as you take that focus off yourself that’s when you start thinking about other things and you’re more worried than you need to be.”