CHAT'S AN END TO IT..

Goodman leaves door open for Bundee but says discipline is being addressed

- BY DEREK FOLEY

IRELAND coach Andrew Goodman put a positive spin on Bundee Aki’s four-week suspension yesterday.

The Connacht centre will miss the first three Six Nations games but his name will be in the hat for the final two - Wales and Scotland.

It has not been determined that the 35-year-old's Test career is over and, while the IRFU will conduct their own inquiry into to what happened after the Connacht-Leinster game, the matter squad-wise is closed.

Indeed, this slots in with a widely held behind-the-scenes view that Ireland are currently subject to an unfair amount of scrutiny from referees at club level - with Leinster's penalty and card count having grown alarmingly this season.

At the top end there were two yellow cards against Stormers, three against Dragons and two when facing La Rochelle earlier this month.