IT WASN’T JUST the Leinster dressing room in which the announcement of Rieko Ioane’s move to the province went down like a lead balloon.
Speaking after the move was confirmed in April, Kiwi rugby pundit Scotty Stevenson had a bone to pick with the very concept of All Blacks — firstly Jordie Barrett, and now Ioane — swapping New Zealand for Ireland to round off their rugby education.
“When the hell did New Zealand rugby players think they were going to start improving their game playing in Ireland?” said Stevenson on The Scotty and Izzy Show, a podcast which he co-presents with former All Black Israel Dagg.
“I’ve been hot on this for years,” Stevenson added. “New Zealand Rugby has run so scared of Ireland since they got dusted up at Soldier Field.
“It is a weird obsession for me. Wasn’t New Zealand the home of innovation? Wasn’t New Zealand the leader in developing players? Weren’t we supposed to be the country that decided on how the game was played and how our players were developed?”
Dagg, who was injured for the Chicago game nine years ago and never lost to Ireland in his 66 caps, retorted that it was merely “a real sign of respect” for Irish rugby that an established New Zealand international would these days see benefit in joining Leinster for six months.
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Jordie Barrett and Rieko Ioane pictured in 2021. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Leinster, of course, makes for the ideal sabbatical for any All Black with 2027 World Cup aspirations. The short-term signing can chase a Champions Cup with three quarters of the Ireland team, all the while internalising Jacques Nienaber’s blueprint for the Springboks’ back-to-back World Cup successes.
Earlier this week, New Zealand head coach Scott Robertson acknowledged that Jordie Barrett’s mental notes on the majority of Ireland’s players have proven useful in his side’s preparation for Saturday’s Soldier Field ‘Rematch’.
Robertson described the 28-year-old Barrett as effectively being a coach before he’s actually a coach, pointing out that Leinster benefited from his approach to analysis during his stint in Dublin (Leinster’s players would tell you the same).
“He studies the game, studies the opposition, his memory on people’s statistics and who played where they play,” Robertson added. “He’s given us some good insights and it’s great for him to be a part of our team.”
Andy Farrell’s selection of Stuart McCloskey alongside Garry Ringrose in Ireland’s midfield is a warranted curveball, then: New Zealand know less of McCloskey than they do of Bundee Aki or Robbie Henshaw, and even Barrett will have to second-guess Ringrose’s tendencies outside a 12 with McCloskey’s offloading ability over opposition shoulders.
Jordie Barrett and Rieko Ioane tackling Garry Ringrose in 2021. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
Some of Leinster’s Ireland internationals have naturally been in touch with Barrett since their arrival in The Windy City, albeit they don’t intend to catch up in person until 8:10pm this Saturday. There’ll be a beer together afterwards, certainly. There may even be scope to take in the Bulls’ NBA game with the Knicks at United Center later on Saturday night.
Barrett’s new friends from Ireland are yet to formally acquaint themselves with his de facto replacement, Rieko Ioane, meanwhile. There will likely be no breaking that ice until Ioane’s arrival in Dublin several weeks after Chicago, and not only because Ioane hasn’t made Robertson’s 23 for Saturday.
Many of Leinster’s players were taken aback by the announcement of Ioane’s signing earlier this year in light of his well publicised spat with Johnny Sexton, which began at the full-time whistle of Ireland’s World Cup quarter-final defeat to the All Blacks in 2023.
Sexton alleged in his 2024 autobiography, Obsessed, that Ioane had told him post-match: “Don’t miss your flight tomorrow. Enjoy your retirement, you cunt.”
Sexton, who branded Ioane a “fake humble fucker”, would later stress that he wrote of the incident only to highlight why he was shown to angrily pursue Ioane in the broadcast footage of the game’s aftermath; that he wasn’t being a sore loser, but had indeed been provoked.
Ioane mostly laughed his way through the fallout, albeit he’s not a great believer in diplomacy for diplomacy’s sake.
Rieko Ioane leading the haka in Dublin last year. Billy Stickland / INPHO
Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
Easily forgotten from an Irish point of view is that Ioane led the haka at the Aviva Stadium last November, bestowed with that honour for the first time with Codie Taylor unavailable and TJ Perenara not selected. Impossible to forget is Ioane’s Instagram post after the All Blacks’ 23-13 win over Ireland, the caption to his haka photographs reading: “Put that in the book.”
“Feelings were hurt, stuff was said, but I’m just here to play footy and win games,” Ioane said in the aftermath.
Look no further than the recent Lions tour for evidence that Ioane will be at worst tolerated, and more likely fully embraced, once he shakes a few hands, says his piece, and gets boots on the grass for Leinster. His arrival will remain an uncomfortable prospect for some of his future teammates who still count Sexton among their close friends, but Ioane is only an antagonist through an Irish lens. It’s worth remembering that Leo Cullen understands the social dynamics of his dressing room better than most and, having spoken with the player plenty last year, he was confident enough to pull the trigger on the move.
Ioane will, in due course, doubtless make for a valuable teammate in blue. It’s just a pity we won’t see the existing dynamic aired one last time between green and black, with the respective returns of Beauden Barrett and Caleb Clarke to the All Blacks’ XV ultimately squeezing Ioane off the bench.
Asked on Thursday what Ioane needs to do to force his way back into New Zealand’s 23, head coach Scott Robertson replied: “Well, take your opportunity anytime he gets it. He’s trained really hard and he understands it’s a hard team to get in, a hard team to pick. So, it’s an everyday job. You have to turn up every day.”
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Ioane’s exclusion, then, hardly sounds like cause for concern for Leinster — he’s bound to feature at a later point in the All Blacks’ European tour.
Jordie Barrett’s insider knowledge is a more live concern for Ireland, albeit there is a second edge to that particular sword: just as Barrett banked intellectual property during his six-month salvo in Dublin, there are probably only a handful of players in world rugby who understand Barrett’s game better than Garry Ringrose.
Ringrose takes on Jordie Barrett and Ioane. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
That Ringrose’s role as a 13 for province and country has become so defensive is a curiosity. Rarer these days are his attacking flourishes of old, with the Leinster and Ireland centre seemingly focused only on reading opposition attacks and pulping lads in tackles — both of which he does extremely well.
Ireland won’t be able to afford to carry such a sacrificial lamb at the World Cup in 2027 — outside centre is too integral an attacking position, and Ringrose will need to shift his predilection once more. But a player of his selflessness, combined with his knowledge of Jordie Barrett’s instincts, might be just what Ireland need this Saturday if they are to earn their first victory in three over New Zealand.
Familiarity. Friendship. Contempt. Weird obsessions. Nine years on from their original meeting at Soldier Field, Ireland’s rivalry with the All Blacks now boasts all kinds of novel dimensions.
Respect, though, is more quickly lost than earned, and a third Kiwi victory on the spin over Farrell’s side would feel like the closing of an epic chapter. An Ireland win, meanwhile, will land Rieko Ioane with a new homework assignment.
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Familiarity, friendship, contempt, and Jordie Barrett's double-edged sabbatical
IT WASN’T JUST the Leinster dressing room in which the announcement of Rieko Ioane’s move to the province went down like a lead balloon.
Speaking after the move was confirmed in April, Kiwi rugby pundit Scotty Stevenson had a bone to pick with the very concept of All Blacks — firstly Jordie Barrett, and now Ioane — swapping New Zealand for Ireland to round off their rugby education.
“When the hell did New Zealand rugby players think they were going to start improving their game playing in Ireland?” said Stevenson on The Scotty and Izzy Show, a podcast which he co-presents with former All Black Israel Dagg.
“I’ve been hot on this for years,” Stevenson added. “New Zealand Rugby has run so scared of Ireland since they got dusted up at Soldier Field.
“It is a weird obsession for me. Wasn’t New Zealand the home of innovation? Wasn’t New Zealand the leader in developing players? Weren’t we supposed to be the country that decided on how the game was played and how our players were developed?”
Dagg, who was injured for the Chicago game nine years ago and never lost to Ireland in his 66 caps, retorted that it was merely “a real sign of respect” for Irish rugby that an established New Zealand international would these days see benefit in joining Leinster for six months.
Leinster, of course, makes for the ideal sabbatical for any All Black with 2027 World Cup aspirations. The short-term signing can chase a Champions Cup with three quarters of the Ireland team, all the while internalising Jacques Nienaber’s blueprint for the Springboks’ back-to-back World Cup successes.
Earlier this week, New Zealand head coach Scott Robertson acknowledged that Jordie Barrett’s mental notes on the majority of Ireland’s players have proven useful in his side’s preparation for Saturday’s Soldier Field ‘Rematch’.
Robertson described the 28-year-old Barrett as effectively being a coach before he’s actually a coach, pointing out that Leinster benefited from his approach to analysis during his stint in Dublin (Leinster’s players would tell you the same).
“He studies the game, studies the opposition, his memory on people’s statistics and who played where they play,” Robertson added. “He’s given us some good insights and it’s great for him to be a part of our team.”
Andy Farrell’s selection of Stuart McCloskey alongside Garry Ringrose in Ireland’s midfield is a warranted curveball, then: New Zealand know less of McCloskey than they do of Bundee Aki or Robbie Henshaw, and even Barrett will have to second-guess Ringrose’s tendencies outside a 12 with McCloskey’s offloading ability over opposition shoulders.
Some of Leinster’s Ireland internationals have naturally been in touch with Barrett since their arrival in The Windy City, albeit they don’t intend to catch up in person until 8:10pm this Saturday. There’ll be a beer together afterwards, certainly. There may even be scope to take in the Bulls’ NBA game with the Knicks at United Center later on Saturday night.
Barrett’s new friends from Ireland are yet to formally acquaint themselves with his de facto replacement, Rieko Ioane, meanwhile. There will likely be no breaking that ice until Ioane’s arrival in Dublin several weeks after Chicago, and not only because Ioane hasn’t made Robertson’s 23 for Saturday.
Many of Leinster’s players were taken aback by the announcement of Ioane’s signing earlier this year in light of his well publicised spat with Johnny Sexton, which began at the full-time whistle of Ireland’s World Cup quarter-final defeat to the All Blacks in 2023.
Sexton alleged in his 2024 autobiography, Obsessed, that Ioane had told him post-match: “Don’t miss your flight tomorrow. Enjoy your retirement, you cunt.”
Sexton, who branded Ioane a “fake humble fucker”, would later stress that he wrote of the incident only to highlight why he was shown to angrily pursue Ioane in the broadcast footage of the game’s aftermath; that he wasn’t being a sore loser, but had indeed been provoked.
Ioane mostly laughed his way through the fallout, albeit he’s not a great believer in diplomacy for diplomacy’s sake.
Easily forgotten from an Irish point of view is that Ioane led the haka at the Aviva Stadium last November, bestowed with that honour for the first time with Codie Taylor unavailable and TJ Perenara not selected. Impossible to forget is Ioane’s Instagram post after the All Blacks’ 23-13 win over Ireland, the caption to his haka photographs reading: “Put that in the book.”
“Feelings were hurt, stuff was said, but I’m just here to play footy and win games,” Ioane said in the aftermath.
Look no further than the recent Lions tour for evidence that Ioane will be at worst tolerated, and more likely fully embraced, once he shakes a few hands, says his piece, and gets boots on the grass for Leinster. His arrival will remain an uncomfortable prospect for some of his future teammates who still count Sexton among their close friends, but Ioane is only an antagonist through an Irish lens. It’s worth remembering that Leo Cullen understands the social dynamics of his dressing room better than most and, having spoken with the player plenty last year, he was confident enough to pull the trigger on the move.
Ioane will, in due course, doubtless make for a valuable teammate in blue. It’s just a pity we won’t see the existing dynamic aired one last time between green and black, with the respective returns of Beauden Barrett and Caleb Clarke to the All Blacks’ XV ultimately squeezing Ioane off the bench.
Asked on Thursday what Ioane needs to do to force his way back into New Zealand’s 23, head coach Scott Robertson replied: “Well, take your opportunity anytime he gets it. He’s trained really hard and he understands it’s a hard team to get in, a hard team to pick. So, it’s an everyday job. You have to turn up every day.”
Ioane’s exclusion, then, hardly sounds like cause for concern for Leinster — he’s bound to feature at a later point in the All Blacks’ European tour.
Jordie Barrett’s insider knowledge is a more live concern for Ireland, albeit there is a second edge to that particular sword: just as Barrett banked intellectual property during his six-month salvo in Dublin, there are probably only a handful of players in world rugby who understand Barrett’s game better than Garry Ringrose.
That Ringrose’s role as a 13 for province and country has become so defensive is a curiosity. Rarer these days are his attacking flourishes of old, with the Leinster and Ireland centre seemingly focused only on reading opposition attacks and pulping lads in tackles — both of which he does extremely well.
Ireland won’t be able to afford to carry such a sacrificial lamb at the World Cup in 2027 — outside centre is too integral an attacking position, and Ringrose will need to shift his predilection once more. But a player of his selflessness, combined with his knowledge of Jordie Barrett’s instincts, might be just what Ireland need this Saturday if they are to earn their first victory in three over New Zealand.
Familiarity. Friendship. Contempt. Weird obsessions. Nine years on from their original meeting at Soldier Field, Ireland’s rivalry with the All Blacks now boasts all kinds of novel dimensions.
Respect, though, is more quickly lost than earned, and a third Kiwi victory on the spin over Farrell’s side would feel like the closing of an epic chapter. An Ireland win, meanwhile, will land Rieko Ioane with a new homework assignment.
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Homework ireland V New Zealand