Bundee Aki will return to Twickenham later this month to captain the Barbarians against England after his Grand Slam efforts there earlier this year.
Aki was a key figure as Ireland swept all before them in the 2018 NatWest 6 Nations to claim only the third Grand Slam in their history.
The crowning glory of that achievement came in south west London in the final round of games as Aki and Ireland downed England – the first home loss of the Eddie Jones Red Rose era.
The Connacht centre started all five games for the men in green and scored two tries – against Italy in round two and Wales in round three – and was a midfield mainstay as Ireland suffered a number of injuries in the centres.
Robbie Henshaw, Chris Farrell and Garry Ringrose all started outside him in the No.13 jersey during the Championship as Aki grew as a leader of the team.
And that added responsibility has been recognised by Pat Lam – Aki’s former coach at Connacht and the now in charge of the Barbarians for their clash with England on May 27.
“I’d like to thank Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt for making Bundee available to us as he’ll be a big asset for the Barbarians,” said Lam, who is now in charge at Bristol.
“The big thing about Bundee is that he’s an unbelievable competitor. A lot of the Pacific Island boys have that X-factor but he loves putting his head in the dark places and thriving in turnover and contact work.
“He’s a huge leader on the field and he has a great understanding and passion for the way I like the team to play.
“England is a game we’re going to have to work hard in and he epitomises what we need to do.
“We need the courage to play and move the ball and also to know when we have to tighten things up, and he’ll be at the centre of that.”
Aki is joined in the squad for the clash against England by his Ireland and Connacht teammates Ultan Dillane and Niyi Adeolokun.
The Barbarians team will also include Scotland captain Greig Laidlaw who so impressed in the 2018 Championship plus Wales flanker Justin Tipuric.
