Lions centre Bundee Aki was forced to end rugby career for his family

 That’s stayed with me my whole career.”

The 35-year-old was a spark off the bench last time out, but now gets the nod in the starting XV – and it's no surprise. With his trademark physicality, bruising carries, and never-say-die attitude, Aki brings the kind of X-factor you 

need to win Test matches.

This marks Aki’s second Lions tour, having featured in the COVID-hit 2021 series in South Africa. Back then, the crowds were silent. This time, the Red Army are roaring – and Aki’s feeding off it.

It’s easy to look at Aki now – a Test veteran, a Lion, a Grand Slam winner – and think it was always meant to be. But his story is one of grit, setbacks, and second chances.

At one point, the now-Ireland star was ready to turn his back on rugby altogether. A teenage father, Aki took a job as a bank teller to support his young daughter. Rugby was just a dream slipping away.

But fate – and a few key voices – had other ideas.

Close friend Tim Nanai-Williams told RugbyPass: “His life was just work and a bit of drinking. But deep down, he still wanted to play. His mum and I kept pushing him.”

Eventually, Aki returned to club rugby. It wasn’t long before All Blacks great Tana Umaga came calling.

“Tana was at Counties Manukau and rang me,” said Nanai-Williams. “He asked, ‘What do you reckon about Bundee?’ I told Bundee: ‘Just guts it out. If you make NPC, you're away. And if you don't go, I’m in trouble!’”

It worked. Aki broke into the Counties Manukau side, quit his bank job, and launched a career that would soon hit global heights.

Aki earned a contract with the Chiefs, where he played a key role in their 2013 Super Rugby title win, dotting down five times that season. From there, it was off to Connacht, Irish eligibility, and a rise to the very top.

Looking back, Aki credits Umaga for reigniting his dream.

“He’s one of the best mentors I’ve had,” Aki said. “Tana always told me: Don’t be afraid to have a crack. Don’t doubt yourself. Even if you stuff up, you can adjust.

Now, as he pulls on the red jersey of the Lions once again, Bundee Aki isn’t just playing for trophies – he’s living proof that with belief, support, and a bit of mongrel, anything is possible.

As the sport becomes faster and more physical, a few rules stand out as needing change—not to disrupt the game’s spirit, but to enhance fairness and flow.

We highlight three specific laws that we believe could benefit from an update. These suggestions come from a place of respect for the game and a desire to see it continue to thrive.

World Rugby has made plenty of changes in recent years, and these ideas could be next.

Rugby has changed significantly over the years, and one of the biggest shifts is how the bench is used. These days, teams often bring on almost an entirely new forward pack late in the game. Big, fresh players crash into tired defenders, making the final 20 minutes less about skill and endurance, and more about brute force. Many fans and former players feel this has turned rugby into a collision sport rather than a contest of stamina and intelligence.

Reducing the number of substitutions would encourage players to pace themselves. Space would open up in the second half, creating more opportunities for creative play rather than endless phases of pick-and-go. It would reward fitness, smart decision-making, and those capable of performing for the full 80 minutes.

Fewer substitutions wouldn’t just make the game more exciting—it would make it fairer, safer, and more in line with the spirit of what rugby has always been about.

With the rise of 6–2 and even 7–1 bench splits, pioneered by Rassie Erasmus, the trend seems to be heading in the opposite direction. That’s all the more reason to act now.

The caterpillar ruck is one of those tactics that, while legal, just doesn’t sit right with many who love the game. It involves players lining up behind a ruck in a queue, giving the scrum-half extra time and space to kick.

It slows the game to a crawl, gives the defence no real chance to compete, and often feels more like a way to kill momentum than build it.

It may be clever, but it’s not entertaining. Fans want to see fast, hard-fought rugby—not box-kick after box-kick with a queue of bodies shielding the kicker. Eliminating or limiting the caterpillar ruck would speed up the game and reintroduce unpredictability at the breakdown.

This isn’t about removing strategy. It’s about keeping the game flowing and true to what makes rugby exciting: dynamic, contested play.

Referees have improved at calling “use it” earlier, which helps speed things up, but more needs to be done. Getting rid of the caterpillar ruck would go a long way toward fixing the issue.

The 20-minute red card was introduced as a middle ground—punishing dangerous play without completely ruining a match. But let’s be honest: it sends the wrong message. If a player commits a reckless or dangerous act, 20 minutes off the field doesn’t always feel like enough—especially for serious offenses, like a high tackle that could end an opponent’s game or season.

Rugby has made major strides in protecting players, especially around the head and neck. Keeping the full red card—where the offending team plays a man down for the rest of the match—reaffirms that commitment. It makes the consequences clear: cross the line, and your team suffers. That’s how you change behaviour.

Yes, it’s tough. Sometimes it may seem harsh. But safety must come first. It’s about respecting the game and the long-term health of every player on the field.

In many ways, the 20-minute red gives officials a cop-out. It’s often seen as the easy option to avoid controversy—even when a full red card is justified.