There always seems to be a 'but' when it comes to the career of Akira Ioane
It seems Akira Ioane will have to keep proving himself.
Seven tests deep into an international career that once looked like it might never get off the ground, the elder Ioane is coming off two standout displays for the All Blacks in Bledisloe II and III.
He looks dynamic with ball in hand, dangerous in the wider channels and yet not neglecting his defensive duties and the need to clear bodies at rucks. Ioane is showing rugby watchers just how good he can be, turning his potential to substance in the All Blacks.
But that has not been enough to win over all his critics. It hasn’t helped him that the nation was obsessed with finding the next Jerome Kaino, a man with far more defensive clout than, say, Ian Kirkpatrick, who is held in the highest esteem.
Hell, it was only 12 months ago that Ioane was no longer considered a specialist No 8. He put his head down and played in very un-Akira Ioane-like fashion, rolling his sleeves up without the ball and upping his work-rate. He won two long-awaited caps and appeared to have conquered the mental demons which almost saw him give the game away in 2019.
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So it seemed weird that he slipped down the blindside flanker pecking order during Super Rugby 2021. Though he started out in the No 6 jersey with the Blues, Ioane fell off the pace, usurped by Tom Robinson and his octane allround game, which included winning plenty of lineout ball.
Hoskins Sotutu was close to the best Kiwi No 8 in Super Rugby, and so Ioane had to cool his heels in the No 20 jersey in the latter half of the season. He only started the Trans-Tasman final due to Robinson’s concussion.
Meanwhile, Shannon Frizell was in imposing form at the Highlanders, the rise of Ethan Blackadder at the Crusaders continued unabated and Luke Jacobson and Pita-Gus Sowakula were thriving at the Chiefs in the 8-6 punch.
There was stiff competition on the blindside and Ioane, it was feared, might get squeezed out. But All Blacks selectors Ian Foster, John Plumtree and Grant Fox kept the faith. Ioane has repaid them with five starts from six outings. He was untarred with the brush of the passive pack effort in Dunedin against Fiji.
We saw him explode at Eden Park in Bledisloe Two last month, clearly his best test. That was until September 5, 2021.
It wasn’t just that he ran for 88m, beat nine defenders and set up Will Jordan with power and skill. It was that he led an All Blacks pack shorn of Sam Whitelock, Sam Cane, Dane Coles, Joe Moody and Ofa Tuungafasi, and which lost Codie Taylor and skipper Ardie Savea before oranges in Perth. Brodie Retallick and Scott Barrett battled manfully in the trenches, but Ioane provided the spark and the X-factor for a team a long way from full strength.
This was impressive stuff.
But… and there always seems to be a but when it comes to the career of Akira Ioane. It is like those Ardie Savea detractors who are yet to be convinced he is a key man man to stem the tide of behemoth Boks, French or English in the collisions.
But… many are still yet to be convinced that Ioane is the real deal as an All Blacks forward of substance. They will reserve judgement until September 25 and October 2 when he must face down the likes of Springboks Duane Vermeulen and Siya Kolisi, not to mention Jasper Wise and Kwagga Smith. They are all quality, physical footballers, yet none possess the all-round game of Akira Latrell Ioane.
This scribe has a feeling that a few of those hard to please critics might just come around when the final throes of the Rugby Championship are played out.
Comments on RugbyPass
Brayden Iose and Peter Lakai are very exciting Super Rugby players but are too short and too light to ever be a Test 8 vs South Africa, France, Ireland, and England, Lakai could potentially be a Test player at 7 if he is allowed to focus on 7 for Hurricanes.
5 Go to commentsPencils “Thomas du Toit” into possible 2027 Bok squad.
1 Go to commentsDon’t see why Harrison makes the bench. Jones can play at 10 if needed, and there is a good case for starting her there to begin with if testing combinations. That would leave room for Sing on the bench
1 Go to commentsWhat a load of old bull!
1 Go to commentsOf the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.
29 Go to commentsIrish Rugby CEO be texting Andy Farrell “Andy, i found our next Kiwi Irishman”
5 Go to commentsI certainly don’t miss drinking beers at 8am in the morning watching rugby games being played in NZ.
1 Go to commentsThis looks like a damage limitation exercise for Wales, keeping back some of their more effective players for the last 20/25 minutes to try and counter England’s fresh legs so the Red Roses don’t rack up a big score.
1 Go to commentsVery unlikely the Bulls will beat Leinster in Dublin. It would be different in Pretoria.
1 Go to commentsI think it is a dangerous path to go down to ban a player for the same period that a player they injured takes to recover. Players would be afraid to tackle anyone. I once tackled my best friend at school in a practice match and sprained his ankle. I paid for it by having to play fly-half instead of full-back for the rest of that season’s fixtures.
5 Go to commentsJust such a genuine good bloke…and probably the best all round player in his generation. Good guys do come first sometimes and he handled the W.Cup loss with great attitude.
2 Go to commentsWord in France is that he’s on the radar of a few Top14 clubs.
5 Go to commentsGet blocking Travis, this guy has styles and he’s gonna make a swift impact…!
1 Go to commentsWhat remorse? She claimed that her dangerous tackle wasn’t worthy of a red! She should be compensating the injured player for loss of earnings at the minimum. Her ban should include the recovery time of the injured player as well as the paltry 3 match ban.
5 Go to commentsArdie is a legend. Finished and klaar. Two things: “Yeah, yeah, I have had a few conversations with Razor just around feedback on my game and what I am doing well, what I need to improve on or work-ons. It’s kind of been minimal, mate, but it’s all that I need over here in terms of how to be better, how to get better and what I am doing well.” I hope he’s downplaying it - and that it’s not that “minimal”. The amount of communication and behind the scenes preparation the Bok coaches put into players - Rassie and co would be all over Ardie and being clear on what is expected of him. This stands out for me as something teams should really be looking at in terms of the boks success from a coaching point of view. And was surprised by the comment - “minimal”. In terms of the “debate” around Ireland and South Africa. Nice one Ardie. Indeed. There’s no debate.
2 Go to commentsThere’s a bit of depth there but realistically Australian players have a long way to go to now catch up. The game is moving on fast and Australia are falling behind. Australian sides still don’t priories the breakdown like they should, it’s a non-negotiable if you want to compete on the international stage. That goes for forwards and backs. The Australian team could have a back row that could make a difference but the problem is they don’t have a tight five that can do the business. Tupou is limited in defence, overweight and unfit and the locks are a long way from international standard. Frost is soft and Salakai-Loto is too small so that means they need a Valentini at 8 who has to do the hard graft so limits the effectiveness of the backrow. Schmidt really needs to get a hard working, tough tight 5 if he wants to get this team firing.
3 Go to commentsSorry Morgan you must have been the “go to for a quote” ex player this week. Its rnd 6 and there is plenty of time to cement a starting 15 and finishing 8 so I have no such concerns.
2 Go to commentsGreat read. I wish you had done this article on the ROAR.
2 Go to commentsThe current AB coaching team is basically the Crusaders so it smacks of wanting their familiar leaders around. This is not a good look for the future of the ABs or the younger players in Super working their way up the player ladder. Razor is touted as innovative, forward looking but his early moves look like insecurity and insular, provincial thinking. He is the AB's coach not the Golden Oldies.
10 Go to commentsSimple reason for wanting him back. Robertson wants him as captain. Otherwise he wouldn’t be bothering chasing him. Not enough reason to come back just to mentor.
10 Go to comments