'It is a completely different beast': All Blacks preparing for a different style to Ireland says Rieko Ioane
The All Blacks have arrived in South Africa in preparation for their first game there in four years but despite the long break, Rieko Ioane is under no illusions about what they will meet in Mbombela.
Ioane’s first trip to South Africa came in his debut test season in 2017 where he scored a long-range intercept try in the 25-24 win at Newlands Stadium in Cape Town.
Few would have predicted the close encounter after the first meeting between the sides in Albany where the All Blacks recorded a record 57-0 result, but playing South Africa at home is a ‘different beast’.
“It’s a game that prior to the four-year absence everyone has looked forward to. We as players look forward to coming here,” Ioane said of this week’s match.
“To have that break and not have that annual game over here, it builds the hype, especially on the outside.”
On his second trip over during the 2018 Rugby Championship, Ioane scored another try in a miraculous comeback that saw the All Blacks clinch a 32-30 victory in Pretoria.
“Some of the toughest games I’ve had in the black jersey have been over here, you think back to the last time we were here [in 2018], it went beyond the 80 minutes,” he said.
“We really had to dig deep. The hardest games in the toughest places to play are the ones that you want to be a part of.”
After an extended absence there are many young All Blacks who do not have any experience playing the Springboks at home, whilst the absence of their teams in Super Rugby also means that this is the first trip for many to South Africa.
Ioane said that the team specifically gathered the first-timers for a meeting to help prepare them for what to expect when they run out on the field at Mbombela Stadium, the home of South Africa’s 2010 Football World Cup.
“We had a meeting with all the boys that haven’t been here, as you said, because we don’t have them [South African teams] in Super Rugby,” he said.
“There is quite a few boys that haven’t been here and haven’t experienced the crowds, or South Africa at home.
“It’s definitely going to be a new experience for them but it’s going to be an awesome one.
“The first time I travelled here, I loved it.”
“The landscape here is very different to all the places we have been, Cape Town, Jo’burg, so again it is something new to us older boys.”
The All Blacks will have to adjust to altitude quickly but Ioane is hopeful that it won’t be the defining factor in the result this weekend.
“It’s something that we have to build over the course of the week. There isn’t any magic secret or recipe to solving that,” he said.
“There are going to be boys that struggle to sleep or whatever, but it’s about getting on once we are between those white lines.
“It’s about being the best team we can. The altitude does play a factor but it shouldn’t be too big a factor.”
After losing four of their last five test matches, Ioane says the All Blacks are determined to get better in all areas and is hoping the backs will fire.
“There is plenty of stuff to work on, we as backs need to fire as well,” he said.
“We are coming up against a world class outfit, especially in their backs so we need to get better all over the park, whether on attack or D.
“It is a completely different beast that we are facing this week.”
Ioane has scored five tries in his seven tests against Springboks, including two from his two tests in South Africa but hasn’t crossed the chalk yet so far in 2022 playing in the midfield against Ireland.
Comments on RugbyPass
🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
27 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
27 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
27 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
27 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
27 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to comments