SYDNEY, Australia – In a remarkable aside following the British and Irish Lions‘ third Test against Australia, Ireland center Bundee Aki revealed his wife, Kayla, gave birth to their fifth child in their car en route to the hospital before the series even began.
Aki shared the unexpected birth story of his daughter, Aine, during a post-match interview.
- Bundee Aki’s wife gave birth to their fifth child in a car before the Lions’ first Test.
- The newborn daughter, Aine, has not yet met her father.
- Aki described the birth as a “funny story” and praised his wife’s strength.
- He also expressed his desire to see Andy Farrell coach the Lions again in 2029.
Aki, who had not seen his family for eight weeks, expressed his eagerness to meet his newborn daughter. “I haven’t seen my family for eight weeks. I have a newborn child who I haven’t met yet,” he told reporters. The New Zealand-born player shared that his wife Kayla had given birth to their daughter, Aine, while they were in Brisbane.
“Yep, a girl,” Aki confirmed. “She was born when we were playing in Brisbane, so I haven’t met her. Her name is Aine, so I’m looking forward to going and meeting her.”
Kayla Aki has now given birth to five children. The first was born in a hospital, while the subsequent three were born at home. Aine’s arrival occurred in the back of a car in New Zealand, where the rest of the Aki family was visiting while Bundee prepared for the first Test in Brisbane.
The 35-year-old Aki described his wife as a “powerful woman, a strong woman.” He recounted how his wife called him from the team hotel, informing him she was experiencing contractions and heading to the hospital.
“We were getting ready for the team meeting pre-match and she calls back and says she’s now on the way to the hospital,” Aki explained. “Five minutes later, she sends a photo – her water had broken. I was like, ‘Cool, OK, are you almost there?’ This is like 30 or 40 minutes away from the hospital. I said, ‘You’ll be all right, Mum is there’.”
The remarkable birth, which happened mid-tour, remained private until Aki shared it. “Ten minutes later, she video calls,” Aki continued. “I was like, ‘What’s going on?’ – and I saw a baby on the video call. She had it in the car on the way to the hospital. They’re both strong and healthy, so happy days.”
Aki also spoke about the series win being a career highlight and his hope for Andy Farrell to return as Lions coach in 2029.
