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The Independent
20 minutes ago
- The Independent
Bundee Aki reveals he missed birth of fifth child to play in first Lions Test
Bundee Aki has revealed he missed the birth of his fifth child to play in the British and Irish Lions' first Test against Australia. Aki completed 23 minutes as a replacement against the Wallabies at Suncorp Stadium on July 19 just hours after his wife Kayla had given birth to Aine in their native New Zealand. And the 35-year-old Ireland centre saw the delivery of a healthy baby as an omen for the Lions' resounding 27-19 victory that set them on the path to a series triumph. 'I want to enjoy my break, my family time. I haven't seen my family for eight weeks. I have a newborn child who I haven't met yet,' Aki said. 'Credit to my wife – she's a powerful woman, a strong woman. I have to say it to her. If you only knew the story of what happened, it's a funny story in itself. 'It was a good day. I was in the hotel. I knew we were overdue. The missus calls me and she's like, 'Water hasn't broke but I'm going to the hospital, I'm feeling contractions.' I go, 'Yeah, fair enough'. 'She goes to the hospital, we're getting ready for the team meeting pre-match and then she calls me and says she's on the way to the hospital, so I said, 'Fine, be safe.' 'Five minutes later she sends a photo, her water broke. I was like, 'Cool, OK, are you almost there?'. This is like 30 or 40 minutes away from the hospital, so I said, 'You'll be all right, mum is there'. 'Ten minutes later she video calls me and I was like, 'S***, what's going on?'. I saw a baby on the video call, so she had it in the car on the way to the hospital. They're both strong and healthy, so happy days! 'I knew it was good Juju, I knew it was good Juju, so I knew we were going to have a good day.' The Lions clinched the series in Melbourne the following weekend by emerging 29-26 winners in what was the first of two successive starts for Aki, who was also part of the 2021 expedition to South Africa. 'Only so many people can say they've been on two tours or have won a series,' he said. 'Honestly, I can't say anything high enough of this bunch of boys, the team, the staff. It's been one of the most enjoyable tours I've ever been on. It's so good. 'The Lions is every four years so coming to Australia, being the first team to go back-to-back to win the series against Australia – it's up there.'
The Independent
20 minutes ago
- The Independent
Bundee Aki reveals Lions sacrifice: ‘I have a newborn child who I haven't met yet'
Bundee Aki has revealed that his wife gave birth on the day of the first Test against Australia - with the British and Irish Lions centre still yet to meet his newly-arrived daughter. The 35-year-old has had to sacrifice, however, spending time with his newborn after his overdue wife delivered Aine in New Zealand with her husband otherwise occupied. 'I haven't seen my family for eight weeks. I have a newborn child who I haven't met yet,' Aki revealed. 'I was in the hotel. I knew we were overdue. The missus calls me and she's like, 'Water hasn't broke but I'm going to the hospital, I'm feeling contractions.' I go, 'Yeah, fair enough.' 'She goes to the hospital, we're getting ready for the team meeting pre-match, and then she calls me and says she's on the way to the hospital, so I said, 'Fine, be safe.' Five minutes later, she sends a photo, her water broke. I was like, 'Cool, OK, are you almost there?' This is like 30 or 40 minutes away from the hospital, so I said, 'You'll be alright, Mum is there.' '10 minutes later, she video calls me and I was like, 'S***, what's going on?' I saw a baby on the video call, so she had it in the car on the way to the hospital. They're both strong and healthy, so happy days." Aine joins siblings Armani, Adrianna, Andronicus and Ailbhe in a growing Aki family based in Galway, where their patriarch is a Connacht and Ireland stalwart. At 35, this is surely the veteran's final Lions tour having also featured in 2021 in South Africa. Aki is, however, yet to make any decision over whether he wishes to attempt to make the 2027 Rugby World Cup back in Australia. 'We'll see, we'll see,' he said. 'I want to enjoy my break, my family time. 'Only so many people can say they've been on two tours or have won a series. Honestly, I can't say anything high enough of this bunch of boys, the team, the staff, it's been one of the most enjoyable tours I've ever been on. It's so good. 'The Lions is every four years, coming to Australia, being the first team to go back-to-back to win the series against Australia. It's up there.'
The Independent
20 minutes ago
- The Independent
Chris Woakes ‘all in' and will bat with dislocated shoulder if needed
Chris Woakes stands ready to bat with a dislocated shoulder and 'put his body on the line' for England, with Joe Root confident the hosts will apply the finishing touches to a nail-biting series decider against India. For the fifth Test in a row, the game is going all the way to the final day after a nerve-wracking fourth evening left all results possible. Brilliant centuries from Root (105) and Harry Brook (111) had England cruising towards a remarkable chase, set fair on 301 for three hunting 374, but they lost three late wickets to leave things in the balance. Bad light and rain halted a thrilling conclusion in its tracks, with England needing 35 runs and India seeking four more wickets. One of those belongs to Woakes, who has not featured since badly damaging his left shoulder while fielding on Friday. He was ruled out of the game the next morning but has remained with the team and is willing to bat at number 11 with his arm in a sling if required. 'You probably saw him in his whites in the dressing room. He's all in, like the rest of us,' said Root. 'Clearly, he's in a huge amount of pain. But it means a huge amount to him and it just shows the character and the person that he is, that he's willing to put his body on the line like that for England. 'If it does come to that, hopefully he can get us across the line and win an incredible series.' Root was not surprised to see a dramatic end unfold after almost seven weeks of full-blooded battle but, having done a huge amount of the heavy lifting alongside Brook, still fancies England to triumph. 'It was always going to happen like this wasn't it? Just look at the first four games,' he said. 'It's been amazing to play in and quite fitting that we're going to get that kind of finish. It's been one hell of a series, one hell of a journey, and there's clearly confidence in our dressing room. I'd like to think we've got what we need to get across the line.' Root had earlier marked his 39th Test hundred, and third this summer, with a touching tribute to the late Graham Thorpe. The former Test batter, who took his own life last year, enjoyed a close relationship with Root during his time as England's assistant coach. When he reached three figures, Root produced one of the Thorpe-inspired white headbands Surrey have been selling to raise funds for the MIND mental health charity and wore it as he looked to the skies. 'That was on behalf of our team. It was just a thank you for everything that he's given the game of cricket, and given English cricket, on and off the field,' he said. 'It's been amazing to recognise everything that he's done as a player, as a coach, as a mentor, as a friend to the dressing room and to the game. 'It was really great to see the amount of love that there is for him and for his family.' India's quicks had found wonderful rhythm before the weather intervened and would probably have liked to try and finish the job while the mood was with them. A night's break and an extra use of the heavy roller could play into England's hands but a saturated outfield meant the tourists were not complaining about the umpires' decision. 'We can see it's pretty wet out there,' said bowling coach Morne Morkel. 'In a way that's out of our control so all we can focus on is doing a good warm-up in the morning, get the boys ready to get the ball in the right area and create a little bit of excitement again.'
