Editorial: Rieko Ioane’s response to Johnny Sexton should be celebrated

Rieko Ioane's (left) use of social media would not be out of place in the UFC, where Israel Adesanya is a star. Photo / Alyse Wright

Editorial

EDITORIAL

New Zealanders have never been great at sports banter.

Kiwi one-liners are unlikely to appear on lists of the greatest ever cricket sledging.

After the great West Indian batter Sir Viv Richards had played and missed at a couple of good deliveries in an English county cricket match, the bowler helpfully described the appearance of the ball for him.

“It’s red, round and weighs about five ounces, in case you were wondering.”

Predictably, the next ball was smashed out of the ground.

“You know what it looks like,” Richards told the bowler. “Now go and find it.”

You’d never get such quality banter from a Black Caps batter. After snotting a lippy bowler for six, our players would be more likely to shrug apologetically and nod deferentially to their batting partner.

Which is why Rieko Ioane’s brilliant use of social media this week shows the pathway to a world in which our athletes should charge.

The All Blacks centre was singled out for a spray in the autobiography of recently retired Irish first five Johnny Sexton.

The No 10 wrote about the end of the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-final clash between the All Blacks and Ireland: “After [referee Wayne] Barnes blows the final whistle, [Ioane] says, ‘Don’t miss your flight tomorrow. Enjoy your retirement, you c**t.’

“So much for the All Blacks’ famous ‘no dickheads’ policy. So much for their humility. I walk after Ioane and call him a fake-humble f***er.

“Fake humble f***er” is a five-star insult to throw at an All Black. It’s probably the most probing thing Sexton sent their way that day. There’s an underlying truth to it – the All Blacks are not humble. Of course there’s an arrogance about them; Sean Fitzpatrick, Sir Colin Meads and Kevin Skinner were not mild-mannered gentlemen, they were too busy smashing everyone they met on a footy field to be polite.

Modern All Blacks are no different. That’s how they have built a World Cup legacy that has seen them exit the tournament only once at the quarter-final stage, a point at which Sexton’s crew were the ninth set of Irishmen to do so.

The best banter is concise. Ioane’s reply to the Sexton autobiography was simply to post on social media a photo of the pair with the chorus of a popular Irish rock song playing: “In your head, in your head, in your head.”

The fact the song is Zombie, the Cranberries tune that became an unofficial anthem of the Irish team at the World Cup, adds to the sweetness of the reply.

By adding to the banter, Ioane has boosted interest in the clash between the two sides on the All Blacks’ end-of-year tour. It was a rare, unguarded – and exceptionally funny – communication from an All Black. Gone are the days of “full credit to the opposition”.

It’s a communications strategy that worked well for Muhammad Ali.

Sporting bodies should encourage their star athletes to go rogue on social media. It works well in American sports, particularly so in the UFC. Kiwi star Israel Adesanya brings fans into his world with his use of social media and with his direct manner in speaking about opponents.

It’s to be hoped more Kiwi athletes follow the path.