All Blacks centre Rieko Ioane is back in the starting line-up with a point to prove. However, he says his response against the Pumas at Eden Park must be clinical rather than emotional.
That applies to the collective as well, he said, following last weekend’s collapse against Argentina in Wellington.
Used to being the incumbent No.13, Ioane came off the reserves bench for most of the final quarter of the 38-30 loss after the selectors preferred Anton Lienert-Brown in the starting line-up.
Despite the messages from the coaches over the past fortnight about the need for cohesion, Ioane is back in the midfield inside two new wings in Will Jordan and Caleb Clarke for Saturday’s Test.
"He’s had a great two weeks," head coach Scott Robertson said of Ioane. "It's his opportunity. He's had some great performances beside Jordie Barrett and it’s his opportunity to have another crack."
The basis for this conclusion has presumably come from Ioane's performance on the training field and the man himself said practice on Tuesday this week was as intense as he can remember.
Asked whether that was the result of a tune-up from the coaches or whether it was led by the players, he replied: "It was definitely both. Right from the reviews, the coaches had a clear outline into what went wrong and where we need to improve. The competition in training was at such a high level on Tuesday – that was our first real run together this week."
Speaking of his demotion to the bench, Ioane said he was "always extremely confident in my ability", and: “I don’t want to let the emotion get the best of me. It’s all about preparation – I’m no stranger to setbacks and things not always going right… this can’t be one of those emotional responses."
He again shut the door on a potential move back to the wing after he was criticised for his distributing ability in the midfield during the England series, saying: "I thought we put this question to bed years ago. I see myself as a 13."
As for the expectation to perform personally and as a collective at a place where the All Blacks haven’t lost since 1994, Ioane said: "In terms of the pressure… the only pressure that players tend to feel is the outside noise because there’s 50 or so here including management that trust your ability."
Lienert-Brown, who scored a try last weekend, didn't appear to do too much wrong but may have been at fault for the Pumas' midfield break that led to a first-half try. While Ioane's decision-making on attack still requires fine-tuning, his defensive reads have improved significantly and he is a reliable tackler.
Another player with an opportunity at his favourite stadium is loosehead prop Tamaiti Williams, who gets a rare start due to Ethan de Groot's neck injury.
The Crusader, now based in Christchurch, said: "I'm a Northland boy. I don't have to buy everyone plane tickets. They can just drive to the game. My family don't get to watch me play rugby very often, especially my grandparents. My parents are bringing them down. It will be special to spend some time with them. I'm away a lot these days."
If any group has to make a statement on Saturday it is the All Blacks pack who were out-thought and out-muscled in Wellington.
"We can all see what kind of athletes they turn into when they get confidence," Williams said of the Pumas. "It's a good challenge for us, especially our tight five."
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