Bundee Aki is ready to spearhead Ireland’s Zombie march into a first-ever Rugby World Cup semi-final.
The World Cup’s outstanding player from the pool stages, Aki will go up against New Zealand, the country of his birth, on Saturday night in Paris.
The 33-year-old has loved every minute of Ireland’s fans taking over Paris, particularly when belting out The Cranberries’ 1994 hit Zombie inside Stade de France.
Team-mate Conor Murray joked that Aki believes Ireland’s latest vogue supporters’ song is in complete tribute to the teak-tough Connacht centre himself.
“He thinks they’re singing ‘Bundee, Bundee’, but they’re definitely not,” said Murray.
“He has been playing the rugby of his life. He can come across as a bit of a messer, but behind the scenes Bundee is incredible.
“The level of detail he goes into – he is always on the computer, trying to figure things out. He’s actually a smart fella, believe it or not!”
Aki has blended astute rugby craft with pure, unadulterated power at this World Cup in France. The one-time Auckland bank teller already boasts a tournament-high 61 carries – with 33 of those runs proving dominant attacks.
Aki has beaten 23 defenders in Ireland’s four matches in France, delivering a monstrous nine clean line breaks.
Ireland have beaten New Zealand five times in the two teams’ last eight meetings, a remarkable sequence given they had to wait 111 years for a maiden victory over the All Blacks.
Ever since beating New Zealand 40-29 at Chicago’s Soldier Field in 2016, Ireland have been slowly turning the screw and building confidence against the famed All Blacks.
A 2-1 series win in New Zealand last summer put the seal on unprecedented dominance, but all that is on the line this weekend.
Former Ireland boss Joe Schmidt will also be looking to mastermind a New Zealand triumph to upset his old side.
The ex-Leinster and Ireland head coach takes care of the All Black attack these days, and has whipped New Zealand into far better shape in the last 12 months.
Schmidt’s borderline obsessive attention to detail, coupled with his insider knowledge, marks the former schoolteacher out as a genuine threat to Ireland’s chances this weekend.
Paul O’Connell once related how Schmidt would model Test matches not just to the letter of Ireland’s attack – but also the opponents’ defence.
Schmidt would map out what each opposition man would do in each defensive situation, and Ireland’s players were entirely spooked when exactly what he had predicted came to pass.
Wing Mark Telea misses out for New Zealand, dropped for undisclosed disciplinary reasons. Leicester Fainga’anuku starts out wide instead, with Scott Barrett starting ahead of Sam Whitelock in the second row.
All Blacks boss Ian Foster admitted his wariness over an Ireland side bidding to finally clear that quarter-final hurdle.
“Ireland came into the World Cup as world number one,” said Foster.
“The past is the past. It’s an Ireland team on a mission. And it’s an All Blacks team on a mission. The key is to clear your head and just play.”
