Ireland Rugby Star Bundee Aki to Face Disciplinary Hearing Ahead of Six Nations Opener Against France.
Bundee Aki, Ireland's centre, will not be traveling with the squad to Portugal ahead of their opening Six Nations match against France. Instead, uncapped Ulster centre Jude Postlethwaite has been called up. The decision comes after an independent disciplinary hearing was confirmed for Aki on Wednesday.
According to the United Rugby Championship Disciplinary Rules, Aki is alleged to have engaged in misconduct by addressing match officials in a manner deemed to be in breach of the rules. This incident occurred during Connacht's recent loss to Leinster.
The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) has taken a firm stance on the matter, stating that they do not tolerate any disrespect shown towards match officials and will not condone actions that fall below expected standards for players representing Ireland in rugby. An internal investigation is currently underway, with no additional comments being made at this time.
The news comes as a blow to Aki, who had been a key player in Ireland's squad leading up to the Six Nations tournament. The team will now face France without their star centre on February 5th.
In other Six Nations fixtures, Ireland's schedule looks like this:
* France (February 5) - Stade de France
* Italy (February 14) - Aviva Stadium
* England (February 21) - Twickenham Stadium
* Wales (March 6) - Aviva Stadium
* Scotland (March 14) - Aviva Stadium
Bundee Aki, Ireland's centre, will not be traveling with the squad to Portugal ahead of their opening Six Nations match against France. Instead, uncapped Ulster centre Jude Postlethwaite has been called up. The decision comes after an independent disciplinary hearing was confirmed for Aki on Wednesday.
According to the United Rugby Championship Disciplinary Rules, Aki is alleged to have engaged in misconduct by addressing match officials in a manner deemed to be in breach of the rules. This incident occurred during Connacht's recent loss to Leinster.
The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) has taken a firm stance on the matter, stating that they do not tolerate any disrespect shown towards match officials and will not condone actions that fall below expected standards for players representing Ireland in rugby. An internal investigation is currently underway, with no additional comments being made at this time.
The news comes as a blow to Aki, who had been a key player in Ireland's squad leading up to the Six Nations tournament. The team will now face France without their star centre on February 5th.
In other Six Nations fixtures, Ireland's schedule looks like this:
* France (February 5) - Stade de France
* Italy (February 14) - Aviva Stadium
* England (February 21) - Twickenham Stadium
* Wales (March 6) - Aviva Stadium
* Scotland (March 14) - Aviva Stadium