Centre Bundee Aki is one of three British & Irish Lions likely to be selected for Connacht’s Vodacom URC match against the Bulls in Galway on Friday night.
Aki, winger Mack Hansen and prop Finlay Bealham are all in line to make their first appearances of the season as Connacht aim to bounce back from defeat to Cardiff.
Coach Stuart Lancaster’s side opened their URC campaign with a bonus-point win over Benetton, but after the postponement of their match against the Scarlets, they looked rusty in a 14-8 loss to Cardiff.
Assistant coach John Tucker says Connacht are relishing the prospect of testing themselves against a powerful Bulls outfit.
“They have a lot of strengths, as we know – a lot of international quality,” Tucker told Irish media. “They’ve got game-breakers in the backfield and out wide. They’ve got a lot of power up front. They play a very physical, aggressive brand of rugby.”
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The Bulls have had a mixed start under Ackermann, beating the Ospreys and Leinster at Loftus, before losing 28-7 to Ulster in Belfast last weekend.
Tucker believes Connacht can turn the visitors’ physicality into an opportunity.
“We’ve shown through pre-season we can handle physical sides,” he said. “It’s about going back to how we want to play the game and playing to our strengths.
“We’ve plenty of energy and plenty of physicality in our pack, and plenty of pace in our backline as well.
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“It’s about imposing our game on them, understanding their strengths and weaknesses – of which there are considerable ones – and making sure we dictate how this match is played.”
Lions Bundee, Finlay and Mack are all fit and available for selection this weekend 🟢🦅
Tickets for Saturday’s game available to buy 🎟️ https://t.co/7PD1ex9jUF#OneConnacht | 📸 @INPHOjames pic.twitter.com/Iyst5z9AOv
— Connacht Rugby (@connachtrugby) October 14, 2025
Photo: Seb Daly/Sportsfile via Getty Images
