Bundee Aki says he will “do Ireland proud” if he get the chance to secure the nation’s place in the knock-out stages against the country of his ancestry.
Samoa are Ireland’s final Pool A opposition in Fukuoka on Saturday, and Aki, who is of Samoan descent, is ignoring the comments of those who question his right to play for the Emerald Isle.
Born in New Zealand, Aki qualified to play for Ireland in 2017 through residency after leaving Auckland with his family three years earlier.
Since then, the centre has excelled for Connacht and become a hard-tackling and hard-running facet of Joe Schmidt’s midfield.
All Blacks assistant coach Ian Foster said of Aki in November: “They’ve turned him into an Irishman – he looks like an Irishman now, doesn’t he?” Aki subsequently excelled in Ireland’s first win over New Zealand in Dublin.
Ahead of the World Cup, Aki remarked that “some people won’t be happy with me pulling on an Irish jersey,” but now says he is focused on winning his place in the starting line-up against Samoa.
Aki said: “If I do get the nod then it will be just the same as when I played against New Zealand.
“Everybody has their view on the residency and they have their right to an opinion.”
The question of overseas-born players representing Ireland - or "project players" - has also arisen in connection with South African forwards Jean Kleyn and CJ Stander. World Rugby will increase the residency qualifying period from three to five years after the World Cup.
“For me, I’m just going to try and do the best I can for this jersey, make sure I play well whenever I get the chance on the field and do Ireland proud, as I always try and do,” said Aki.
“That’s all I can do as a player, regardless of what people think.
“I’m going to focus on what I can do: get in the team first, and put in a good performance.”
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