The ball hasn’t yet left the scrum-half’s hands and the call from his outside has already been made loud and clear.
ack Carty doesn’t need to think twice, such is the inherent trust he has in both of his centres, who are scanning areas to attack. Before he knows it, the ball has already passed through his hands and moved to the space that has been identified.
For any out-half, those concise lines of communication are vital to the running of a game-plan, and in Bundee Aki and Robbie Henshaw, Carty believes there are few better at making a 10’s life easier.
Those subtle nuances often go unnoticed when watching a high-octane Test match, but on the pitch, they help make a team tick.
From Connacht to Ireland and now starting Lions Test centres, Henshaw and Aki’s long-standing friendship will come full circle in Cape Town this evening.
A partnership that began in Galway was briefly broken up when Henshaw (28) left for Leinster, only for the pair to be reunited when Aki (31) became Irish-qualified, with their paths destined to end up on the Lions stage together.
“As a 10, they are such a destructive midfield pairing,” says Carty, who has played inside Aki and Henshaw with both Connacht and Ireland.
“Even if you forget about the intricacies in terms of knowing each other, they both have an ability to beat you in more ways than one.
“Robbie will beat you with pace or he’ll run over you and then Bundee will beat you with footwork or he’ll run over you.
“What you’d hope to see against South Africa’s blitz ‘D’, is that the Lions get the ball into Robbie and Bundee’s hands, and they try and play with that extra width. If they can bring their wingers into the game, the way that Bundee will sit down players and the lines that Robbie will strike off him will create loads of problems.”
The expectation is that Aki and Henshaw will bring huge physicality to the Lions midfield and while that will be the case, they have plenty more to offer against the Boks.
However, whether they will be able to showcase that within what has been a restrictive game-plan remains to be seen.
“When Bundee gets those balls from 9-12, Robbie will already know where Bundee will end up at the line. There could be subtle tip passes or a little pull-back pass to 10,” Carty adds. “When they come together, there is a great energy between them, they really complement each other.
“Bundee will probably end up carrying a lot from 12, so Robbie will be that second playmaker.”
Henshaw has never liked being branded a ‘crash ball merchant’, and the extra freedom that may be afforded to him in the 13 channel should, in theory at least, allow him to open up a bit more.
“He is the best passer of a ball I have played with in terms of his ability to rip a ball 15 metres and for a winger not to have check his stride,” says Carty, who has played with Henshaw since their days in Buccaneers and Marist College in Athlone.
“If Robbie sees a full wall in front of you, he’ll just make the call and you’ll end up hitting him on a switch. It’s similar to what Garry (Ringrose) does. They are both very good at going back against the grain and finding a hole somewhere or picking a forward on a weak shoulder.
“Robbie has a massive ability to recognise when there is pressure on the player inside of him. He’ll just cut a line and play off the shoulder of that man who is carrying the ball.
“You’ve seen it many times, he’ll just go square and then at the last minute when someone jams onto that ball-carrier, there’ll be a tip ball available and Robbie will just hit that space where a defender is left.
“You see how he gets in behind teams and then gets his hands free for offloads. I think that’s one of his biggest attributes. He has an appreciation of space, either going to it or playing to it.”
That communication and ability to scan is also a hallmark of Aki’s game, even if Carty admits we don’t get to see it all the time because he is asked to play a certain role at 12.
“You can see the transformation in his physique over the last two years and since lockdown,” he maintains.
“For a 10 or anyone defending that, it’s your worst nightmare because you know you can be beaten with feet and then he can drop his shoulder and run over you.
“For me, having Bundee outside me at 12, what it does is, he is always going to hold the 10, no doubt, but he will always interest the 12 too.
“So, as a playmaker at 10, it gives you that extra moment. Say if you are playing a 9-12, or your 13, which in this case will be Robbie, you’ll have him running short and it just gives you so much extra time.
“He is such a threat on the ball and you know he can distribute, but if you clock off, you know he has the footwork to straighten back up and go through contact. Probably something that gets forgotten about, he does this ‘Scuppy long ball’ at training – his distribution is just... you probably don’t get to see it because he is used as someone who sets a target in midfield.
“He gets that pass from 9-12 and his ability to stay square and actually play at the line. He doesn’t even have to turn his head when he is playing those out-the-back passes, where he plays the 10 or the 13 out-the-back. His peripheral vision is pretty special.”
Much has been made of how Aki is a huge energiser within the Connacht and Ireland set-ups, and he has carried that into the Lions.
He has had to stay patient for his Test debut, but Carty is not surprised by his team-mate’s promotion.
“I know everyone talks about how loud Bundee is, but when he’s on the pitch, it’s just the detail of the comms he gives you,” he says.
“His ability to see space then communicate in as few words as possible. If there’s no space on the edge, he’ll say, ‘Up late, through.’
“He gives you that confidence in knowing that the decision you’ve made as a 10, he is giving you a second pair of eyes.
“People inside the stadium hear Bundee screaming and shouting, and his ability to energise his team-mates, but probably what they don’t hear are his in-between chats.
“His mini comms in terms of just telling you where the space is, whether you’re playing off 10 or not, he will always look out to the edge and let you know.
“If he sees there is space, he’ll be like, ‘Hands early, hands early.’ He doesn’t give you too many comms that are going to fumble you up.
“It’s really crisp, clear comms. It’s obviously something he grew up with back home in New Zealand, but his ability to scan and see space is something he doesn’t get credit for.
“When you have him in the team, he gives you the ability to play that bit wider because he is so good at identifying where the space is.
“The minute he sees it, he is able to communicate it into you as a 10 and then the ball is gone, you’re already going to that space. He is definitely the best 12 I have played with.”
In a game where the Lions are crying out for creativity, Aki and Henshaw will hope to use their intuitive understanding to provide the spark that clinches the Series.