Selection decisions for the All Blacks over (from left) Quinn Tupaea, Rieko Ioane, Caleb Tangitau and for coach Scott Robertson. Photos / Photosport, SmartFrame
Selection decisions for the All Blacks over (from left) Quinn Tupaea, Rieko Ioane, Caleb Tangitau and for coach Scott Robertson. Photos / Photosport, SmartFrame
Rieko Ioane was given a chance in the final Rugby Championship test, signalling ongoing faith in his potential from the selectors.
The All Blacks may use the end-of-year tour to help Ioane regain form, despite his struggles this year.
There is debate over whether to persist with Ioane or give opportunities to emerging talent.
When Rieko Ioane was named on the bench for the final Rugby Championship test in Perth, having been overlooked for the All Blacks’ previous two encounters, it had the feel of a last-chance selection.
That sense that he was being given one last opportunity to deliver some kindof tangible evidence that he can still be a high-impact player in the test arena intensified when he replaced Quinn Tupaea with 22 minutes left.
Tupaea was the undisputed man-of-the match – using his fast feet and power to take chunks out of the Wallabies defence – and unless he was carrying a slight injury or the data was coming back that he was fatigued, his departure looked pre-meditated and designed to give Ioane a 20-minute cameo rather than reshape or address any performance shortcomings.
Either that, or the All Blacks coaches, having dropped Ioane after the first test against South Africa, have decided they still believe in his potential and have committed to giving him game time in the remaining tests this year to try to rebuild his form.
It’s possible to argue that if there is a plan to keep Ioane in the frame, that the All Blacks coaching group are taking a well-considered, justifiable pathway – one designed to patiently rekindle his confidence and rediscover the sharpness that made him the world game’s most deadly finisher between 2017 and 2019.
Ioane struggled to make an impact this year with the Blues, where he played centre, and he equally battled trying to adjust to the wing, where the All Blacks have used him this year in five tests before dropping him after the game against South Africa at Eden Park.
All Blacks coach Scott Robertson (left) and Rieko Ioane catch up after victory over the Wallabies in Perth. Photo / SmartFrame
But given his size, speed, athleticism and experience, it would be understandable if head coach Scott Robertson doesn’t want to give up on Ioane and cast him into the wilderness just yet.
Maybe, the selectors have come to form a deeper appreciation of the defensive and abrasive qualities Ioane brings, and maybe they have revised their assessment that he’s best – and only – suited to playing on the wing for the All Blacks.
The plan, therefore, may be to use the All Blacks’ end-of-year tour to try to play Ioane back into form – use him off the bench against Ireland and England and start him against Scotland and Wales.
Ioane’s 20 minutes in Perth may, then, have been designed to signal to him that the door remains open – that he’s not been written off and that there is a designated role for him on the upcoming Grand Slam tour, be it in the midfield or on the wing.
The alternative view is that the smarter play with Ioane would be to not take him to the UK and instead free up a place in the touring squad for an untried youngster such as Caleb Tangitau, Chay Fihaki, Kyren Taumoefolau or whichever emerging prospect the selectors feel is the next cab-in-waiting.
Why not put the onus on Ioane, who will in December join Leinster on a six-month sabbatical, to get himself back on track and rebuild his form and confidence at club level?
He’s played 87 tests, and everyone has seen how good he can be, but Ioane, to be blunt, hasn’t played well all year, neither for the Blues nor the All Blacks; not at centre, nor at wing.
No one doubts his natural talents or would say that he can’t bounce back to his world-class best, but there has to be some concern about offering him an extended runway to improve when he’s produced so little to deserve such continued faith.
Persevering with Ioane for the remainder of this year prompts the question of whether the All Blacks should be a vehicle for known superstars to find themselves, or a merit-based team where in-form players are rewarded?
If Ioane sparks back into life in Ireland, then a recall to the All Blacks in July next year could be justified. But why not use the end-of-year tour to deepen the talent pool in a position that looks, unusually, bereft of genuinely exciting options?
This tour is also tailor-made to be a little bold and experimental in selection, as the schedule is Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales, which almost perfectly creates an opportunity for the All Blacks to play their top side in games one and three and be a little more adventurous in Edinburgh and Cardiff.
This is why the Ioane decision is important because if he’s included in the tour party, it will signal that this coaching group places a perhaps unjustifiable premium on experience and continue to miss golden opportunities to give playing time to emerging talent who might be more deserving of selection.
The selection panel betting heavily on experience is harder yet to understand, given the success they have had when circumstances have forced their hand to pick the unknown quantity.
Last year, Wallace Sititi was given his chance when injury struck others – and he ended the season being named as World Rugby’s Breakthrough Player of the Year.
This year, Leroy Carter has been the find of the season, but like Sititi, he had to wait longer for his chance than he might have in other coaching regimes.
