Banker Bundee has rarely let Ireland down

Robbie Henshaw’s dodgy hamstring may be making all the papers but the real story when it comes to Ireland’s midfield options is Bundee Aki.

And has been for some time.Ireland have played 24 games since the Kiwi qualified for his adopted country under the old three-year residency rule and he has featured in all but four of them. He sat out Fiji two years ago, when Joe Schmidt gave Stuart McCloskey and Chris Farrell a rare run-out together, and he missed the USA last November for similar reasons. Most recent was his absence for the first World Cup warm-up, against the Italians.