Blues loose forward Akira Ioane says he is proud of what he's achieved, as the curtain comes down on his nine-year career at the franchise in Saturday’s Super Rugby final against the Chiefs.
“I’m proud, not just me but for my family and the journey we’ve had,” Ioane, 29, said today.
“I know the boys are in a good spot and that’s all I could have done.”
The Blues and Ioane have been in this position before, of course. In 2022, they qualified for a home final and were favourites to go all the way, only to run into a Crusaders team who turned the tables with a dominant performance at Eden Park.
It was an experience that will likely help the remaining players on Saturday. Likewise, the addition of head coach Vern Cotter has helped enormously in terms of getting a talented playing group to get closer to its potential.
“A lot of people have tried… a few of the boys have been here for a long time,” Ioane said. “It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows when I first started… we just needed a few key people in key positions to get us started and now people want to join us.”
Ioane, who has played 21 Tests, is off to Japan at the end of the season. He said skipper Patrick Tuipulotu’s shock return from a knee injury three or four weeks earlier than expected was a huge boost.
“He’s a special player. I think he did his MCL, I don’t really know, and then he said ‘I’ll strap up for Saturday’ and I said ‘that’s crazy’ for him. He’s a team man… I’m pretty stoked to be playing my last game with him.”
Cotter said Tuipulotu’s powers of recovery weren’t necessarily surprising.
“The first week he didn’t entertain it and the second week he came in and said, ‘hey boys, I feel a lot better’ and went through series of tests and got the green light after a fairly robust session on Tuesday,” Cotter said.
“He’s a calming influence as well so that’s nice to have.
“There have been cases of it before. Every individual responds differently to this type of injury. He’s got some pretty well-developed muscle around his thighs and calves.”
Asked whether Tuipulotu’s mental strength played a big part in his quick recovery, Cotter said: “There’s a bit of that and desire. He bleeds blue blood as well. That’s a part of it. This season has been a great adventure of ups and downs, the character has grown. It’s been enjoyable to be a part of.”
The Blues comfortably beat the Chiefs at Eden Park in the final round of the regular season but Cotter said their neighbours, who were impressive in beating the Hurricanes in Wellington last weekend to qualify for the final, had improved over the past few weeks.
“They’ve lifted in intensity in certain parts of their game. And it’s the finals as well. Finals aren’t necessarily pretty. It’s a battle of wills… we expect it to go up a couple of notches on the last time we played them.”
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