**Despite enduring a somewhat hit and miss season in 2019/20, Connacht have shown flashes of the quality their squad possesses as Andy Friend and his team ultimately bid to claim their first Guinness PRO14 title since 2016.** While the likes of skipper Jarrad Butler, Paul Boyle and Tiernan O'Halloran have demonstrated their worth throughout the campaign - which has featured impressive wins over Benetton, Toyota Cheetahs and Cardiff Blues - one member of the squad who has proved invaluable to club and country since moving to The Sportsground in 2014 is centre Bundee Aki. The 30-year-old was an integral part of the Irish side's maiden Championship triumph four years ago, and is seemingly a vital part of Andy Farrell’s international plans, having started all three Six Nations clashes earlier this year, before the competition was put on ice. Despite having only made three Guinness PRO14 appearances this term, Aki proved his worth with a try against Isuzu Southern Kings in November, while he has also chipped in with an assist, 27 carries and 26 tackles with a 95 per cent success rate. Fans of the Galway-based club will have been relieved when Aki signed a three-year contract extension late last year. With the midfield star set to stick around for a while yet, here are five things you might not know about him… # **He hails from New Zealand** Aki was born and raised on the other side of the world, in South Auckland to Samoan parents. Interestingly, his registered name isn’t ‘Bundee’, but he has been known by that name since the doctor present at his birth asked if he could be named after him. Aki was a student at Manurewa High School, where he first started playing rugby under the stewardship of coaches such as Andrew Talaimanu and Ian Foster. Having moved to Galway in 2014 - with Connacht under the stewardship of Pat Lam at the time - Aki qualifies to play for Ireland through the residency rule, and he made his Test debut against South Africa in November 2017.
