Bundee Aki 'good to go' ahead of Connacht clash with Bordeaux

Ireland centre Bundee Aki is "good to go" and will be in the mix for Connacht's Champions Cup clash with Bordeaux Begles on Friday, head coach Pete Wilkins has confirmed.

Shortlisted for the World Rugby Player of the Year award, the 33-year-old hasn't played since Ireland's quarter-final loss to New Zealand in France on 14 October.

However, he has recovered from a hamstring injury ahead of schedule and is likely to be included against the French Top14 outfit.

"Bundee is available and he's good to go, which is great news for us and great news for him," Wilkins told RTÉ Sport.

"That hamstring wasn't an acute injury that had caused any issues but it was something that had lingered for him.

"It had been managed really well during that World Cup period and we just wanted to use this window to get it right for him.

"So he's worked really hard on it, probably ahead of schedule in terms of the hard work he's put in and the support he's had around him from the medical staff.

"[We're] really pleased with how he's tracked and he'll be in the mix this week."

The 52-cap New Zealand-born back (above) was Ireland's standout player of the tournament, scoring five tries in five games and was named player of the match against Tonga and South Africa.

On how he has settled back in since the tournament ended, Wilkins said: "He's probably in that strange place that some of the Irish players have found themselves inhabiting.

"In the sense that's he full of confidence and delighted on a personal level with the form he's shown but still absolutely devastated in terms of the final outcome for the team and their progression in the World Cup.

"He's dealt with that disappointment.

"I don't think it will ever leave him or them but he's channeled it into doing