Wing wonder Ioane on course for record
Talented 21-year-old could be the first All Black to score 50 Test tries, writes Ben Coles
Steve Hansen usually avoids dolloping on the hyperbole regarding his players, which made his comments last November about New Zealand wing Rieko Ioane all the more striking. “Fozzy [assistant coach Ian Foster] pointed out to me when I was getting a bit excited about him. He said, ‘We’ve got to keep his feet on the floor’, and he’s 100 per cent right,” Hansen admitted at the time.
“[Rieko] is phenomenal. If we can keep his feet on the floor he could go anywhere.”
Anywhere in Ioane’s case seems to be a place in the record books, given that no All Black has ever managed to cross the 50-try mark in Test rugby.
Many have come close: Doug Howlett on 49 tries, Christian Cullen and Joe Rokocoko on 46. The obvious recent contender was Julian
Savea following his breakout season in 2012 through to winning the Rugby World Cup in 2015, but the hulking wing’s Test career has since stalled. Savea is now at Toulon and also stranded on 46 tries.
Ioane is still incredibly young for a world-class wing at just 21, and he looks it too, even with his blooming November moustache in its early stages. “I’ve been growing it since January,” he said with a smile this week.
Since becoming the eighthyoungest All Blacks debutant in history at the tail end of 2016, Ioane has already amassed 22 tries in 21 Tests. Continue that strike rate and Ioane would break the 50-try barrier before he turns 25.
Daisuke Ohata of Japan holds the all-time record on 69, meaning that if Ioane can stave off the recent curse that has seen New Zealand wingers slow down by the age of 27, he could end up being the greatest try-scorer the game has ever seen.
Today’s Test will be both his first against England and also his first at Twickenham. “Every game that you get the opportunity to wear the black jersey is awesome but this will definitely be one that I remember,” Ioane said. “All the fellas will be pretty happy to be running out there on Saturday in front of a full stadium. I’m definitely looking forward to it.”
Weaknesses in his game are hard to find. The Blues, Ioane’s Super Rugby side, opted to use him at both inside and outside centre at times this season in order to get the ball in his hands as much as possible.
“Everyone learns a lot from their own performances not only on the international scene but in Super Rugby as well,” Ioane said. “I’m pretty happy with the way things have progressed as an outside back and how things are going so far.
“The only surprise for me [at the start] was that the pressure within the [All Blacks] group that we put on each other is probably bigger than what everyone perceives we get from the outside. Shag [Hansen] and the management are real harsh on the boys and all the boys are harsh on each other so it makes for a healthy, competitive environment.”