Ireland center Bundee Aki has been dropped from the national squad for disciplinary reasons and is set to miss the start of the Six Nations campaign.
The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) confirmed the decision on Wednesday as Aki faces a misconduct complaint stemming from comments he allegedly directed at a referee while playing for Connacht against Leinster in a United Rugby Championship match last Saturday.
In a statement, the IRFU said it is investigating the incident and confirmed that Aki has not travelled with the Ireland squad to Portugal for a pre-Six Nations training camp.
“The IRFU does not tolerate any form of disrespect shown towards match officials,” the union said. “It does not condone actions that fall below the standards expected of players representing Irish rugby.”
Aki, one of Ireland’s key midfield figures, has been replaced in the squad by fellow center Jude Postlethwaite.
Ireland open their Six Nations campaign against France on February 5.
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