BUNDEEAki’s shuddering launch of his international career in Dublin last weekend would have been felt 12,000 miles away back home in Auckland. It would certainly have been felt in South Africa.
The hit which put Coenie Oosthuizen, the Springboks’ 20- stone tighthead, out for the count in the first minute and off on the pitchside ambulance evoked memories of another gigantic South African prop, Os du Randt, bouncing off Scott Gibbs during the 1997 Lions’ series.
Aki, at 16-stone considerably heavier than Gibbs, gave due thanks to a superior force: “All the glory goes ...