AUSSIE head coach Joe Schmidt has aimed a subtle dig at the British and Irish Lions.
The former Leinster and Ireland boss called Bundee Aki and Sione Tuipulotu as a “southern-hemisphere centre partnership”.
Both Aki and Tuipulotu were born in New Zealand and Australia respectively, lined out in midfield for the Lions’ defeat against Argentina on Friday in Dublin.
And speaking ahead of last night’s clash, Schmidt appeared to use the moment to highlight the pair’s adopted international allegiances.
Connacht ace Aki qualified to play for Ireland in 2017 via the residency rule and officially became an Irish citizen in 2024.
Tuipulotu, meanwhile, represents Scotland through his grandmother who hails from Greenock.
Wallabies boss said: “A southern-hemisphere centre partnership that will be pretty formidable.
“I coached Bundee for several years and know him really well and respect him massively as a player. He’s a great contributor to the team environment.
“I’ve only had glancing conversations with Sione but again, by all accounts a champion bloke.
“You don’t get to be captain of a national team without being a great bloke and really professional in those high-performance environments.
“They are real athletes, those two together, so that’ll be really interesting.”
Debate around the number of overseas-born players in Andy Farrell’s Lions squad has intensified in the build-up to the 2025 tour.
Ireland’s Jamison Gibson-Park and James Lowe, along with Scotland’s Duhan van der Merwe and Pierre Schoeman, all qualified through residency.
Finlay Bealham and Mack Hansen are eligible through family heritage.
