Connacht centre Bundee Aki says he fully intends on playing international rugby in the future, but admits he has no idea what country he wants to represent.

Aki was voted the Guinness Pro12’s player of the year last season as he helped Pat Lam’s side to a maiden championship, but despite becoming Ireland qualified in a year’s time, Aki says he doesn’t regard himself as being Irish yet.

Aki was born in Auckland in New Zealand, but can also represent Samoa as his parents hail from the Pacific island, but the 26-year-old insisted he still is confused about where his loyalties lie.

“I actually do not know [who I’ll play for],” said Aki.

“There is a lot of factors that come into it but to be fair I don’t even think about it a lot.

“I don’t think about in terms of countries. The more I think about it, it affects my rugby. The more I focus on my rugby, if my rugby goes well, the better it will be for me.

“Yes my ambition is still to play international rugby. When the time comes, when the time is right for me, the coaches and the international team will come I hope.”

Schmidt meeting With two seasons in the green of Connacht under his belt, much is expected from Aki again this year as the province ht set about trying to defend the Pro12 crown.

According to the player he has not met with Ireland manager Joe Schmidt since last year, but he remains open to the idea of playing his international rugby here.

And despite not having an issue with the idea of project players becoming eligible to play for a county other than their birth place, Aki still has some adjustments to make before settling on Ireland.

“I have taken a lot of things to do with them and I have enjoyed Irish culture and stuff but it is wrong for me to say I am Irish. I can say that I have enjoyed the culture and the environment I am in, in Ireland.

Irish identity

“For me to say I am Irish that is wrong for me to say because I was not born here. That is for them and it is not for me to take away from the guys who were born here and that who want to play for the Irish and who are Irish.

“I am just here at Connacht and my ambition is to play international. I like taking in the culture and stuff like as for being an Irish person it is wrong to say that that I am Irish.

“Technically I could [play for three countries]. But at the moment I am trying to finish the year with Connacht and hope all all goes well and make my decision with regard to international in that respect.”

Summer at home

After the celebrations in Galway died down following their win over Leinster in May, Aki went home to New Zealand to spend the summer with his family.

But bizarrely it was only after their Pro12 victory that some of Aki’s former team-mates discovered he was still playing the game competitively.

“Most of them didn’t even know Connacht existed. They all told me they heard of Leinster, Ulster, Munster, but they never heard of Connacht, so it was pretty cool to put Connacht on the map, to show a small province can do well.

“I think they were quite surprised, after the two years I disappeared they actually didn’t know what team I was playing for. When we won, they finally realised. They were quite surprised,” he said.

They may have been surprised but nobody in the Pro12 league who faced Connacht was.