CONNACHT COACH ANDY Friend says the educational program Bundee Aki must undergo if he wants his eight-week suspension reduced is far from a box-ticking exercise and that the center will have earned the one-week suspension if you get it.
The 32-year-old is suspended for Ireland’s games against the Springboks and Fiji, but could be available for the match against Australia if completion of the head contact process coaches intervention program is deemed acceptable.
Aki was sent off for the third time in his career for a reckless tackle shortly after facing the Stormers at URC in September and received an eight-week suspension.
That ban will be reduced by a week if he successfully completes the head contact process training intervention program, but Friend said this wasn’t easy.
It has meant that some of Aki’s coaches and team-mates at Connacht, along with the province’s video and analysis team, have had to work with him to complete the program to the high standard required.
It basically involves coaches being filmed explaining and showing the correct tackling procedure, then Aki executing multiple times in various scenarios, and all of this must be filmed from a variety of angles and be of a level that is acceptable to the disciplinary body, in addition. of the written questions.
“It’s actually quite intense and involves Bundee going through a range of technicals on the field around the glitch, going through some quizzes, some video work that he had to do, which then has to be supported by the coaches.” Friend said.
He said coaches, players and technical staff were involved in the process over several days at the Sportsground, with contact and scrum coach Colm Tucker leading the process and several of Aki’s teammates pitching in to help with the demos.
“Collie Tucker is the guy who took care of all that, but that’s another workload for him and for Bundee. It was also necessary to bring in some players because what you’re really doing is showing and videotaping the correct tackling and takedown technique and making sure the lessons of the incident are learned.
“Everything is put together and sent out, and the quality of everything, the technique involved, the questionnaires, the quality of the videos, etc., everything is examined and, if it is ratified, a week of suspension is removed. It is certainly not a box-ticking exercise.
“This is not just for Bundee, this is for any player who is suspended and has the option of being reduced if they go through this educational procedure. There is a lot involved in this and any player who gets the week off certainly earns it,” added Friend.
Aki has missed Connacht games against the Bulls, Leinster, Munster, Scarlets and Ospreys as well as international games against South Africa and Fiji.
He will be available for the clash against the Wallabies on November 19 if he successfully completes the head contact process training intervention program, though whether Andy Farrell calls him remains to be seen.
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