Scott Robertson explains Rieko Ioane’s All Blacks return and the ‘human side’ of his omission
All Blacks centre Rieko Ioane and an inset of head coach Scott Robertson.
All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson insists that Rieko Ioane has “worked tirelessly” to get back into contention after returning to the team against Wales.
The 28-year-old had yet not featured for New Zealand on this end-of-year tour, with his last game coming against the Wallabies at the conclusion of the Rugby Championship and his last start coming back in September versus the Springboks.
However, despite being out in the cold recently, Ioane will be at centre for the All Blacks’ final encounter of the year at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.
Everyone given a chance
“They’ve been on tour, Anton [Lienert-Brown] got a crack last week and Rieko’s extremely experienced. He’s just worked tirelessly on this tour to get an opportunity and now it’s his,” Robertson said.
“Everyone’s had a crack, so it balances the squad. Everyone’s had one, two or three or four games, so it’s a mix of it all.
“There have been a few bangs and a few injuries, but it’s great to have Fabian [Holland] and Caleb [Clarke] back.”
It has been a difficult time for Ioane but Robertson stated that he has kept the speedster in the loop on where he stands.
“You’re constantly checking on your players and you have little conversations just to make sure you’re consistently giving them feedback,” the All Blacks boss said.
“There’s a technical aspect and there’s a tactical, but there’s also the human side, so it’s just to make sure you stay ready, you’re going to get a crack and this is his one.
“We’re really excited for him, he’s been a really good pro on the field, he’s done everything he can.”
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Ioane will start in a backline which also contains the exciting full-back Ruben Love, who will earn his fifth cap for the national team this weekend.
Fans have been urging Robertson to select Love after a superb year for the Hurricanes in Super Rugby Pacific and they have finally got their wish.
Ruben Love verdict
“You saw him at the Hurricanes last year playing 10, playing some great footy. It’s challenging when you’ve got a world-class full-back like Will Jordan and the balance of it when you’re going for a Grand Slam,” he said.
“You’re always in the back of your mind going to give him a crack at the end there. You’ve got someone like DMac (Damian McKenzie), who can rip a game apart.
“When you give opportunities, that’s the challenge, that’s the skill set that I have to trust myself on and this is his this weekend.
“He’s definitely a 10/15 or 15/10, but I’m sure the Hurricanes will have him closer to the nine next year.”
With everything in New Zealand geared towards the All Blacks, Robertson has a certain amount of influence over the players when they are featuring for their franchises, but he insists that he doesn’t have the final say.
“You have conversations with them and you talk about how they’re going to use their team, this squad and their individual players, but you never talk about how they’re going to play and who’s going to play where,” he added.
“But you do have conversations and say: ‘Look, if there is an opportunity, we would love to see him there’.”
