Ioane has the potential to be an elite centre
Nominated as World Player of the Year as well as Breakthrough Player of the Year, Rieko Ioane has had a coming-of-age season.
He has been outstanding from the first game of the year in which he scored a stunning hattrick for the Blues against the Rebels to last weekend in Paris where he chased and hustled wherever he could.
In between times he has scored a lot of tries, ruined the reputation of Springboks wing Raymond Rhule, given a few Lions players plenty to think about and dropped Julian Savea down the All Blacks’ pecking order.
He is an emerging superstar.
But as much as All Blacks’ coach Steve Hansen loves what the 20-year-old has brought to test football this year and the way he has found himself so quickly, there won’t be much public commentary to that effect. Hansen is of the view that the best way to keep Ioane delivering is to keep those feet of his planted firmly on the ground.
Several times Hansen has been asked to give his thoughts on the progress of Ioane. The answer has never been ebullient nor glowing. It has been clipped, understated, the tone obvious: this veteran coach doesn’t want to be blowing too much smoke.
“Pretty good,” offered Hansen when he was asked to sum up Ioane’s year to date. “Okay very, pretty good. He has played well hasn’t he? He is an exciting player. He gets the ball and everyone holds their breath because he only needs half a yard and he’s quick and he scores tries.
“Last week I thought his kick-chase game was outstanding. He’s getting better and better. He has had a breakout year.”
What was more telling perhaps was the answer that came when Hansen was asked what he felt Ioane needed to work on the most.
“Work rate,” was the unequivocal reply. And with that, Hansen revealed a lot.
Ioane strikes as having a number of paths available to him — marking him out as a little different to other high-impact young wings such as Joe Rokocoko and Julian Savea.
Those two were out and out wings; finishers. They were all about their pace and power. Ioane has pace and power to match, and is a deadly finisher. But he has shown he can also play the role of provider. Unlike either Rokocoko or Savea, Ioane has the potential to evolve into a world-class centre.
He is classy distributor, a big tackler and, because he’s played most of his football to date in the midfield, he has a reasonable handle on what the role is all about.
At some stage in Ioane’s future, he may push in one berth and re-invent himself as an international midfielder, so Hansen wants Ioane to adopt early a mindset of not standing wide just waiting, waiting.
He wants him to be aware that he can have influence in multiple ways.
It’s not that Ioane hasn’t done that this year, just that he could do it more. He could pop up more in the middle of the field, sweep round to the opposite wing or come looking for the short pass off Aaron Smith close to the ruck.
These are the add-on features Hansen would like to see, and Ioane would like to deliver.
“I was just trying to get some decent game time,” Ioane said of his goals this year. “This has been my first year where I have had full concentration on XVs. . . I just want to improve on my game and help the team however I can.”