The British and Irish Lions completed their first series win in over a decade following a number of impressive performances down under.
While Andy Farrell’s side were denied a clean sweep against a resurgent Wallabies side on Saturday, the tour still marks a significant achievement for the team and a highlight of the players’ careers.
Perhaps none more so than New Zealand-born Ireland international Bundee Aki.
While many of his team-mates will be enjoying some downtime ahead of their returns to club rugby, Aki looks set to be immediately occupied once he arrives home.
That is, after the 35-year-old revealed he and his wife welcomed a fifth child during the Lions’ tour of Australia.
‘I haven’t seen my family for eight weeks. I have a newborn child who I haven’t met yet.’ Aki told reporters on the final day of the series.
‘A girl. She was born when we were playing in Brisbane, so I haven’t met her. Her name is Aine, so I’m looking forward to going and meeting her.’
He added that his fifth child had actually been born in the car as his wife Kayla rushed to hospital.
‘It was a good day. I was in the team hotel. I knew we were overdue. The missus calls me and she’s like, ‘My water hasn’t broken but I’m going to the hospital, I’m feeling contractions’.
‘We were getting ready for the team meeting pre-match and she calls back and says she’s now on the way to the hospital.
‘Five minutes later, she sends a photo – her water had broken. I was like, ‘Cool, OK, are you almost there?’ This is like 30 or 40 minutes away from the hospital. I said, ‘You’ll be all right, Mum is there’.
‘Ten minutes later, she video calls. I was like, ‘What’s going on?’ – and I saw a baby on the video call. She had it in the car on the way to the hospital. They’re both strong and healthy, so happy days.’
