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The minor adjustment made by Rieko Ioane that could pay huge dividends
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Rieko Ioane has lost a little weight, but none of his belief.
The new, trimmer, version will start on the left wing for the Blues against the Chiefs at Eden Park on Friday as confident as ever in his abilities after a disappointing 2019 All Black campaign which saw him usurped by George Bridge for the No 11 jersey after the Crusader’s superb Bledisloe Cup performance against the Wallabies at the same ground last August.
More personal blows followed at the World Cup, where Bridge edged him out of the big pool game against South Africa and sudden death matches against Ireland and England.
From being a near starting certainty at the beginning of the year, the still only 22-year-old Ioane played three matches at the World Cup and started only against Canada and the bronze medal match against Wales.
“It was a huge learning for me through the whole of 2019, especially that World Cup,” Ioane said. “Not only was it the disappointment of that semifinal, but everything; learning to go from being a starter to not playing.
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“I’m hugely excited for this year and looking forward to getting back to playing some good footy.
“It didn’t dent [my confidence] too much. Obviously I was disappointed I wasn’t playing but I think everyone would be. I knew the bigger picture was the World Cup itself. I just had to do my best to help the team.
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“I had communication with [then All Blacks assistant coach] Foz [Ian Foster] the whole time. I was in a good headspace.”
He certainly seems it as he prepares for a fresh start in what is his 50th game for the Blues. He is slimmer – he confirmed he weighs about 102kg, down from his playing weight of about 105kg last year, and seems to be relishing a role that will include a large leadership component.
@ChiefsRugby will be rolling out Brad Weber, Aaron Cruden and Anton Lienert-Brown off the bench in the second half ?https://t.co/vdA7W064el… #SuperRugby #BLUvCHI
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 28, 2020
“It’s the lightest I’ve been for a while,” he said. “I thought this time around I would try something a bit different and be a bit lighter – which shouldn’t be the case at centre – but I feel good. The speed is up there and the fitness is up there.
“I don’t feel too different, I just get around easier, hopefully we’ll see this Friday how the contact goes.”
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Ioane, who will be on restricted minutes over the next few weeks due to the All Black return-to-play protocols, shed the weight by “doing a bit more training in the offseason”. There was “nothing drastic,” he said, “no vegan or vegetarian diet as of yet.”
He confirmed he sees his future in the midfield rather than the left wing for the Blues, despite a test try-scoring record on the left which would suggest he is better suited there than anywhere else. In 29 tests, Ioane has scored 24 tries. He averages a try a game in Bledisloe Cup and Rugby Championship tests.
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English newcomer Joe Marchant will start at centre against the Chiefs, with TJ Faiane inside him at second-five.
“Wing I find comes pretty naturally,” Ioane said. “I trained there a bit when we first came in but over the last the weeks I’ve trained just at centre. I’m happy to switch in and out wherever the team needs me but I’m looking forward to playing centre this year.
“That’s where I want to play.”
In the meantime he is happy to be what’s best for the team. And, like coach Leon MacDonald and his teammates, there are few predictions for this season after so many recent disappointments for the franchise.
“The proof will be in the pudding,” he said.
This article first appeared on nzherald.co.nz and is republished with permission.
Former North Harbour representative Nafi Tuitavake has linked up with the Bulls in South Africa:
Comments on RugbyPass
What a dagg in more ways than one
5 Go to commentsRegroup come back next year but sack some of the coaching team and don't be like the ABs last minute sacking. If Crusaders don't do well ABs don't do well.
5 Go to commentsProctor Definitely inform again this year had a hell of a season last year and this year is looking even better. Still mixed feelings about Ioane tho.
4 Go to commentsDagg is still trying to get enough headlines to make himself relevant enough to get a job. The Crusaders went back to square one at all levels. Shelve this season and nail the next one.
5 Go to commentsHe was in such great form. Sad for him but only a short term injury and it will be great to see him back for the finals.
1 Go to commentsAfter their 5/0 start, I had the Crusaders to finish Top 4 only…they lost the plot in Perth but will reload and back themselves vs 4th placed Rebels…
5 Go to commentsBoth nations missed a great opportunity to book a game that would have had a lot of interest from around the world. I understand these games can’t be organised in 5 minutes but they should have found a way to make it happen. I don’t think Wales are ducking anyone but it’s a bad look haha.
3 Go to commentsIt will be fascinating to see the effect that Jo Yapp has. If they can compete with Canada and give BFs a run for their money that will be progress
1 Go to commentsFollowing his dream and putting in the work. Go well young fella!
3 Go to commentsPerhaps filling Twickenham is one of Mitchell’s KPIs. I doubt whether both September matches will be at Twickenham on consecutive weekends. I would take the BF one to a large provincial stadium so as not to give them the advantage and experience of playing at Twickenham before a large crowd prior to the RWC.
3 Go to commentsvery unfortunate for Kitshoff, but big opportunity potentially for Nché to prove he is genuinely the best loosehead in the world, rather than just a specialist finisher. Presuming that if Kitshoff is out, it will also give Steenekamp a chance to come into the 23? Or are others likely to be ahead of him?
1 Go to commentsA long held question in popular culture asks if art imitates life or does the latter influence the former? Over this 6 nations I can ask the same question of the media influencing the thoughts of its audience or vice versa. Nobody wants to see cricket scores in rugby, as a spectacle it is not sustainable. With so many articles about England’s procession and lack of competition it feeds the epicaricacy of many looking for an opportunity to pounce. England are not the first team to dominate nor does it happen only in rugby, think Federer, Nadal, Red Bull or Mercedes, Manchester Utd, Australia in tests and World Cups. Instead of celebrating the achievements why find reasons to falsify it pointing towards larger playing pool, professional for a longer period or mitigate with the lack of growth in other nations. Can we not enjoy it while it is here and know that it won’t last for ever, others coveting what England have will soon take the crown, ask the aforementioned?
6 Go to commentsShame he won’t turn out for the Netherlands now they’re improving. U20s are Euro champs and in the U20 Trophy this year. The senior sides gets better every year too.
3 Go to commentsWill rugbypass tv be showing these games?
1 Go to commentsWell where do you start, the fact that England have a professional domestic league and Ireland’s is fully amatuer, that they have fully seperated professional squads at Fifteens and Sevens (7’s thinly disguised as GB), and Ireland have fully pro Sevens squad who loan some players back to the Semi-Professional Fifteens squad (moved from amateur for only a year or so) for a few games at 6N & RWC’s. The Women’s games is a shambles, and is at risk of killing itself by pushing for professionalism when the market isn’t really there to support it outside one or two countnries..
6 Go to commentsWayne Smith's input didn't have as much impact on the last final as Davison's red card for Thompson. England were 14 points up and flying when that happened.
6 Go to commentsBilly's been playing consistently well for 2 - 3 seasons now and deserves a look in at the top level. Ioane and ALB are still first choice but there needs to be injury cover and succession. His partnership with Jordie gives him first dibs you'd think. Go the Hurricanes.
4 Go to commentsIt’s not up to Wales to support Georgian Rugby. That’s up to International Rugby and Georgia. I sympathise with Georgia’s decent attempt to create this fixture. But for Wales the proposed match up is just a potential stick to beat them with and a potential big psychological blow that young Welsh team doesn’t need. (I’m Irish BTW.)
3 Go to commentsCale certainly looks great in space, but as you say, he has struggled in contact. At 23 years old, turning 24 this year, he should be close to full physical maturity and yet there exists a considerable gap in the power and physicality required for international rugby. Weight doesn’t automatically equate to power and physicality either. Can he go from a player who’s being physically dominated in Super rugby to physically dominating in international rugby in 1 or 2 years? That’s a big ask but he may end up being a late bloomer.
38 Go to commentsIf rugby wants to remain interesting in the AI era then it will need to work on changing the rules. AI will reduce the tactical advantage of smart game plans, will neutralize primary attacking weapons, and will move rugby from a being a game of inches to a game of millimetres. It will be about sheer athleticism and technique,about avoiding mistakes, and about referees. Many fans will find that boring. The answer is to add creative degrees of freedom to the game. The 50-22 is an example. But we can have fun inventing others, like the right to add more players for X minutes per game, or the equivalent of the 2-point conversion in American football, the ability to call a 12-player scrum, etc. Not saying these are great ideas, but making the point that the more of these alternatives you allow, the less AI will be able to lock down high-probability strategies. This is not because AI does not have the compute power, but because it has more choices and has less data, or less-specific data. That will take time and debate, but big, positive and immediate impact could be in the area of ref/TMO assistance. The technology is easily good enough today to detect forward passes, not-straight lineouts, offside at breakdown/scrum/lineout, obstruction, early/late tackles, and a lot of other things. WR should be ultra aggressive in doing this, as it will really help in an area in which the game is really struggling. In the long run there needs to be substantial creativity applied to the rules. Without that AI (along with all of the pro innovations) will turn rugby into a bash fest.
24 Go to comments