In joining an elite list of former recipients, Bundee Aki has followed in the footsteps of Garry Ringrose and Robbie Hernshaw in becoming the third Irish midfielder in the last four years to be crowned the Guinness Rugby Writers of Ireland Player of the Year.
It is also a particular source of pride for Aki that he is the first Connacht player to receive this award in the professional era, by emulating Eric Elwood, the 1992-93 RWI player of the year.
“That is special. He’s a legend of Connacht and to be given this award is unbelievably humbling,” said Aki.
Now in his 10th season with Connacht, it has been quite a journey for Aki since Tana Umaga approached him when working as a bank clerk and encouraged him to resume playing with Counties Manukau.
“I think every player goes through their journey and I’m quite lucky to be surrounded by such good people and such good team-mates, to be able to stay here for over a decade,” said Aki.
“I haven’t looked back once. I’ve enjoyed every moment of it, and when you’re enjoying it, you just get down to the work and do what you need to do.”
Yet this time last year, Aki wasn’t in the Connacht matchday 23 for their Champions Cup games, which makes his resurrection with Ireland all the more remarkable.
“I think it just comes down to you going back to what you know best and surrounding yourself with good people. To be surrounded by good friends and good coaches, it goes a long way, and then you’ve got the stronghold of your support, which is your family, and you lean on them most of the time.”
Aki is at pains to acknowledge the faith and trust placed in him by Andy Farrell and the coaches, as well as the back-up staff and his team-mates, for his achievements in 2023.
Trophies have a funny habit of following him around, be it the Ranfurly Shield with Counties Manukau, Super Rugby with the Chiefs, the Pro12 with Connacht and, along with historic wins over the All Blacks, a second Grand Slam.
There’s a wonderful picture of an ebullient Aki holding aloft the Six Nations and Triple Crown trophies after the landmark St Patrick’s Day win over England in the Aviva Stadium.
“When you win trophies it’s down to all the hard work from the guys in the 23 and the guys behind the scenes who prepared you. It’s the medical staff, it’s nutrition, it’s everyone. It goes back to your family and they’ve all played a part, and it’s special to give something back to the fans for their constant support week in, week out.
“To be able to put a smile on their faces and inspire a nation, for us that was our main goal, especially as the Grand Slam hadn’t been won in Dublin before. For us to do that was huge and you always try and cherish those moments as much as you can, because those moments don’t come that often.”
Although his year, like all of his international team-mates, ended in acute disappointment with that World Cup quarter-final defeat by New Zealand, Aki was a key contributor to an otherwise golden year for the Irish team.
An ever-present in the Grand Slam campaign (as he was in 2018) when starting the last three games, after turning 33 last April he took his form to a new level for the World Cup, when playing every minute of Ireland’s five games.
Prior to this season, Aki had scored 10 tries in 46 Tests. His wonderful try against the All Blacks was his fifth of the tournament and sixth in six games including the warm-up win over England.
“I’ve said this before, being around this bunch of guys, this group of coaches, was one of the best times of my life. Obviously, we fell short but that’s rugby. Rugby can be cruel at times. You don’t always win, but definitely the confidence was there, the attitude was there, the commitment was there.
“We grew as a group and as a team we want to inspire a nation, and the support of the fans in all those five games was incredible.
“For myself, I felt disappointed for the long-serving players like Johnny [Sexton] and Earlsy, and I asked myself what more could I have done. But it could easily have been the bounce of a ball. That’s just sport. Sport is cruel, but I certainly think the boys gave a bit of joy to a lot of supporters and a lot of kids. That was the feedback we got and as a sportsperson you want that, to see kids pick up a rugby ball and enjoy the sport.
“But you can’t get away from the fact that we didn’t achieve what we wanted to achieve. We wanted to get to that goal as a group and we certainly believed that we could have got there.”
The big games come thick and fast now, with Connacht visiting Lyon on Saturday and hosting Bristol the following Friday in what he calls “the best club comp in the world,” before Ireland meet France in Marseille a fortnight later.
Having signed a new contract until the end of the 2024/25 season, 2023 was not a last dance for Aki.
“I certainly believe that there’s a lot more, that I can definitely offer more and keep going after things, and achieve goals here and there. I want to keep giving my best and serve the time until I know it’s my time to finish, and then I’ll put the boots up. But at the moment, I’m feeling good, I’m feeling fresh and looking to achieve more.”
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