The Connacht flanker is settled far from his native New Zealand as he enters the make-or-break part of his Irish stay.
The talented midfielder has gone from idolising powerhouse Aki to playing alongside him.
The Irish URC side have also confirmed their squad of 43 for the 2024/25 campaign, slightly down in size from 2023/24.
Connacht scored 20 unanswered points in 15 second-half minutes to see off Glasgow Warriors 34-26 at the Sportsground to maintain their winning start to the BKT United Rugby Championship.
Caolin Blade’s 22-minute first-half hat-trick catapulted Connacht to an opening 34-26 bonus-point win over the Ospreys in the BKT United Rugby Championship at the Sportsground.
Caolin Blade scored his second hat-trick of the season as Connacht maintained their push for a top-eight finish in the BKT URC with a 41-26 bonus-point win over Edinburgh at the Sportsground.
Connacht collected a valuable four points in their bid for a United Rugby Championship play-off spot over Dragons.
United Rugby Championship leaders Leinster began the new year in familiar fashion with a 41-12 bonus-point win over Connacht at the RDS.Tries from David Hawkshaw and Tom Farrell had Connacht just 19-12 behind at half-time, with Liam Turner, Brian Deeny and Jordan Larmour crossing for Leinster.Larmour, Rob Russell, Ryan Baird and Josh van der Flier made it a seven-try victory for Leo Cullen’s men, whose only real worry was losing captain Jonathan Sexton to a facial injury.Connacht were missing three of their Ireland internationals, with illness ruling out Finlay Bealham and Mack Hansen while Bundee Aki was rested due to Ireland player management.Turner took a lovely line in the second minute as Charlie Ngatai and Sexton combined to put him over to the right of the posts. Sexton missed the conversion.The Murray brothers, Darragh and Niall, both pinched lineouts and Connacht’s improving play was rewarded when Hawkshaw broke through tackles from Sexton and Russell for a fine 16th-minute score, converted by Jack Carty.Leinster turned to their powerful pack, young lock Deeny springing over from close range for Sexton to make it 12-7.On the half-hour mark, a sidestepping Larmour linked with Jimmy O’Brien, whose kick through evaded the unfortunate Carty, and Larmour gleefully followed up for a seven-pointer.Connacht pulled back five of those before the break, Carty slickly sent Farrell over but the skipper miscued the conversion.Larmour baged a 44th-minute bonus point from an inviting Jamison Gibson-Park pass, while Connacht lost Hawkshaw to injury in the process. Carty was soon sent to the bin for being offside from a penalty.Nonetheless, Connacht coped well while down to 14 men, Caolin Blade igniting their attack again and Jarrad Butler thwarting a Leinster maul.Sexton had to be replaced after head-on-head contact when tackling Butler which could have seen him carded.In his absence, Leinster finished with a flourish, Cormac Foley and Ngatai providing the assists for Russell and Baird to go over respectively, before Van der Flier showed his pace to make the left corner after Larmour was again involved in the build-up.
Connacht captain Jack Carty missed a last-gasp conversion as Ulster clung on for a 22-20 United Rugby Championship derby win at the Sportsground.