Hansen expects Ioane to shine against France
paris — All Blacks head coach Steve Hansen tipped flying wing Rieko Ioane to demonstrate to French fans on Saturday just why he’s ousted Julian Savea from New Zealand’s starting XV.
Savea may have scored 46 tries in just 54 Tests — leaving him joint second on the all-time New Zealand try scorers list, but with the best strike-rate of the top 10 — but he has been summarily shoved aside in favour of Ioane, himself in record-breaking form with nine tries in 10 Tests.
And Hansen said on Thursday the French will find out just why Ioane, who has made a rapid comeback from mumps to be available, is so highly thought of.
“He’s quick — really fast — his work ethic and he’s scoring tries,” said Hansen when asked what’s pushed 20-year-old Ioane ahead of Savea, 27, in the pecking order. The World Cup-winning coach didn’t rule out Savea making a return to the All Blacks but said that a change of attitude was needed.
“He’s lost his enjoyment for the game a little bit, I think, and the guy (Ioane) that’s playing in his position: you’ll know a bit more about him after the weekend I should imagine — he’s pretty good,” Hansen told French reporters from the All Blacks’ Parisian hotel.
“Is the door shut for him (Savea), no. The door’s not shut on any exAll Black if they play well enough — particularly one that scored, what 46 tries from 54 tests.
“It’s definitely not shut but he’s got to find something in himself that brings him back to that form, and then there’s another guy playing as well whose scored a large amount of tries in a very short time himself — it’s a real battle. “That’s one of the great things about being an All Black, there’s always going to be competition.”
Another player adding to that competition is 22-year-old fullback Damian McKenzie. —