Rieko Ioane, Ireland rugby’s public enemy No.1 for his actions after the All Blacks’ quarter-final victory in Paris two years ago and digs last year before his team’s meritorious win in Dublin, has spoken publicly for the first time since signing for a sabbatical at Irish club Leinster.
And the midfielder, who gave what Irish fans believed was an impolite send-off to Johnny Sexton at the Stade de France in 2023 after the veteran’s final match in green (and gave a little extra on social media after the first-five complained about the treatment in his autobiography), was not surprisingly diplomatic as he contemplated joining a new club.
Ioane, who probably won as many fans as he lost after putting the outspoken and occasionally controversial Sexton in his place, told a media scrum after Blues’ training today that he was not sure how he would be received by the fans at Leinster, although he hoped he could win them over.
Sexton, the former Ireland captain who was rarely short of a word on or off the field and who was sanctioned for abusing match officials before the last World Cup, spent nine seasons at Leinster which made Ioane’s signing eye-opening to say the least.
“Whatever happens - I’m not too sure,” Ioane said. “By all my friends’ accounts it’s about 50-50 at the moment. I’ll try to get it 60-40 in my favour…
“Fans will be fans. I’m not stranger to a bit of this. I think rugby needs more of this and I enjoy that side of the game. It does seem 50-50 and I can’t wait to see [how it goes] when I’m over there.”
Ioane later said he thought he could get it to 70-30 once he scored his first try for his new club – which he will join at the end of the year as a replacement for Jordie Barrett, the Hurricanes and All Blacks midfielder who was a huge success at Leinster.
“I definitely messaged Jordie to see what his experiences were, how he’s coped with the change and [whether he] enjoyed it,” Ioane said.
“His words were similar to mine – ‘something fresh, something different’. Although I’m not a golfer, he said it’s been awesome. He said he’d look back on it and have fond memories.”
Ioane, still only 28 after making his All Blacks debut in 2017, is at something of a crossroads in his career.
His form for the defending champion Blues has not been compelling but the team’s struggles this year in winning only five of 12 matches should serve as some mitigation.
Regardless, men such as in-form Hurricanes centre Billy Proctor and the returning Leicester Fainga’anuku will be putting pressure on Ioane ahead of the three-Test series against France in July and Rugby Championship which starts a month later.
Ioane, after training in front of All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson at the Blues today, was reluctant to discuss his form, saying: “If I wanted people to understand the ins and outs of footy and what it takes it be a professional rugby player we’d be here all day.
“It is difficult to understand but this isn’t about me and I’ll probably leave it here but I just want to play my best for the Blues.”
The Blues’ struggles this season, their second under head coach Vern Cotter, have been well documented but a favourable run-in meant that, despite losing seven of their first 10 games, they were always a chance to make the top six.
They are now fifth and preparing for an intriguing match up against the in-form Moana Pasifika at North Harbour Stadium on Saturday.
“Look back at the last couple of weeks and all it’s been is a couple of decent performances,” Ioane said.
“We haven’t achieved anything. Our feet are firmly on the ground. We know the threat that they pose. With such a tight table and with all teams running hot for the finish line it’s going to be a huge game.
“We’re still building. We as players see headlines and whatnot. That’s all part of it – I’ve been in seasons like this before. I’m happy as always with the slow burn and slow build…”
However, Ioane was happy to expand on Ardie Savea’s influence in his first season at Moana Pasifika, saying there may be more to come from a franchise which also have five wins this season and is just out of the playoffs zone in seventh.
“Ardie’s performances on the field help him to be the leader he is,” he said.
“He and I are so close… to see his impact – we knew he could have an impact on Moana, but I still think they haven’t scratched the surface. I still think they have more to give. We’ll see on Saturday.”
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