Aki’s long road to the centre of Ireland picture

Joe Schmidt’s no-holds-barred Monday video reviews have acquired legendary status in Irish rugby circles but Bundee Aki was long accustomed to such unvarnished truths long before he qualified to play rugby for his adopted country.

The ritual back in his family home rarely changes when he plays. They wake up at some ungodly hour in the middle of the night, watch their man do his stuff for Connacht or Ireland, go back to bed for a few hours and then rise again for church.

It isn’t until the Monday that he will get a call from Auckland from his father Hercules and his mother Sautia. Aki knows what to expect. “Here’s another earful,” he’ll think as the conversation starts. It seems they rarely disappoint on that score.