Bundee Aki's life away from the pitch - from wife and kids to Irish citizenship

Extra.ie​

3 hours ago

Bundee Aki's set to start for the British and Irish Lions during their match against Argentina on Friday night.
The New Zealand-born centre, who has been a revelation for both Connacht and Ireland, has been lauded as one of the best players in the country — being nominated as World Player of the Year in 2023.
Both on and off the pitch, Bundee has support in the form of his family — with his wife and four children all residing in Galway with him. View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Bundee Aki (@bundeeaki) View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Bundee Aki (@bundeeaki)
Bundee and his wife Kayla wed in their native New Zealand in 2018, two years after he was a part of the Connacht team that won the Pro12.
The couple have three daughters, Armani-Jade, Adrianna and Ailbhe, as well as a son called Adronicus — with three of the kids being born at home after Kayla had a poor experience with the birth of eldest Armani-Jade. The couple also revealed that they were expecting their fifth child earlier this month in an adorable photo on Instagram where Kayla showed off her baby bump.
Bundee regularly shares his family on social media, and shared an adorable photo of himself, Kayla and the kids after the country won back-to-back Six Nations championships last year. Bundee Aki and his wife Kayla share four children together, with a fifth on the way. Pic: INPHO/Andrew Downes
While there have been plenty of honorary Irishmen and women over the years (Jack Charlton being the most famous example), Bundee revealed last year that he was one of over 3,000 people who became Irish citizens, getting the passport to boot.
Speaking on his citizenship, Bundee told the Late Late Show that the decision to join Connacht, which ultimately changed his life, didn't come lightly.
'Obviously, at the time it was a big decision,' he said. 'It wasn't an easy one — I obviously had to talk to a few close family members, close friends and coaches. I had a small family at the time, my wife and two kids and the youngest one was three years old, so to get the call from Pat Lam to come over here and offer an opportunity… I knew I had to give it everything I got.' Bundee became an Irish citizen last October, over 10 years after he joined Connacht. Pic: Courtesy of RTÉ News
'That's one thing I made sure I stood by, to give it everything for my family and for Connacht. It's been 10 years now and I've enjoyed every single bit of it. It doesn't even feel like 10 years — more like two or three years.'
10 years after joining Connacht, he became an Irish citizen — saying that he was greeted with open arms over the previous decade by Irish people.
'It's not just what I do on or off the pitch,' Bundee said. 'The way they've treated me and my family, obviously in Galway, but around the country too, how lovely people are, how welcoming they are with me and my kids.
'You can honestly feel how proud they are, and I feel the love they've given me and for me to be able to get granted the citizenship was no better feeling than to be able to get that chance to be able to say, I can now embrace the Irish culture.'