The ‘match made in heaven’ reason why England great insists Bundee Aki must start Lions’ first Test
British and Irish Lions midfielder Bundee Aki
Former England fly-half Stuart Barnes has altered his preferred British and Irish Lions midfield, insisting that Bundee Aki must now start in the inside centre position next Saturday versus the Wallabies.
When it initially emerged last weekend that Garry Ringrose, Aki’s Ireland midfield partner, would be unavailable for the July 19 Test series opener in Brisbane, the 1993 Lions tourist filed copy to The Times that omitted Aki from his Lions XV and explained why Sione Tuipulotu should be the starting No.12.
However, a period of reflection has resulted in Barnes revising his selection and insisting that having Aki starting in the channel one out from Finn Russell would be a “match made in heaven”.
With Huw Jones the preferred No.13, it would mean the Lions fielding a mixed midfield consisting of one Scottish player with one Irish. This is an opinion different from the consensus that Lions boss Andy Farrell should use one-country-only combinations.
“Oversimplified debate…”
With Ringrose unavailable, the Jones/Tuipulotu all-Scottish combination has become the choice selection of most pundits, but Barnes has stated his case that the midfield should be Jones starting outside Aki.
“Take your pick. The Irish or Scottish centres? That has been – or was – the oversimplified debate surrounding the Lions centre combination. ‘Was’, because Ringrose has been ruled out of contention for Saturday’s first Test in Brisbane as a result of being concussed last week in Canberra.
“Both popular and expert opinion has swung the way of Scotland’s No.12 Sione Tuipulotu and No.13 Huw Jones since the news broke about Ringrose on Saturday.”
Barnes, the retired England No.10, explained why he has since changed his mind on this Jones/Tuipulotu consensus. “On Saturday, less than an hour after the news leaked out, I filed my team for the first Test to the Sunday Times.
“Aki had slipped from starter the previous week to the bench, with the excellent Tuipulotu wearing the No.12 shirt. The loss of a centre like Ringrose seems easier to handle when the midfield reads Finn Russell-Tuipulotu-Jones. The Scottish triumvirate, with a potent pack in front of them. It is a tempting thought.
“Tempting enough for me to put Aki on the bench. Well, 24 hours later, with time to ponder the news in less of a panic, the Connacht centre is back in. Farrell has not been obsessed by nationality. He has played the centre partnerships together only once; the Scots on Saturday and the Irish against the Brumbies three days before the game in Adelaide.”
Going on to praise Jones for his “gilded” running, Barnes reasoned Aki should start at No.12. “This is a Test match, not some forgettable tour warm-up game. The ball isn’t going to race into the wider parts of the field from kick-off onwards.
“There is a battle for space and Aki has the capacity to dominate that scrap outside Russell, on the gain line. Tuipulotu has deft hands, swift feet and no small heft in the carry, but Aki is the most natural foil for the fly-half.
“Russell can delay his decision-making because there’s no one quite like Aki to play the safety net and ensure forward momentum…
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“Free to rethink the situation, Aki would be my start between the two Scots at 10 and 13. More importantly, he could just be Farrell’s. The Lions may not be able to replicate the intensity of the Irish game but they have it in them to add a brutal balance to what is an already refined Scottish midfield.
“Russell, Aki and Jones showed some smooth touches against Queensland. Ringrose’s muscle and defensive know-how might be missed, but this tour needs a few touches of magic at the highest level. Irish or Scottish? Maybe the answer is neither. The plan was always Lions centres.”
