All Blacks centre Rieko Ioane follows Jordie Barrett in shock move to Irish club Leinster

In a bombshell move sure to spark interest throughout the rugby world, All Blacks centre Rieko Ioane will join Irish powerhouse Leinster next season and, in doing so, attempt to traverse the rare realm from villain to world-class recruit. Ioane remains committed to the All Blacks through to the 2027 World Cup but, as is now commonplace with senior New Zealand rugby players, he has a sabbatical clause in his contract that allows him to skip one Super Rugby Pacific season with the Blues to spend six months abroad. Ioane could have exercised his sabbatical option in 2024 or 2025 but he has determined December-June is the right window to spread his wings.

Despite fielding lucrative interest from Japan, where older brother Akira now plays, Ioane has opted to follow Jordie Barrett’s trailblazing move to Leinster this year. Ioane will replicate Barrett’s six-month stint in Dublin which will leave Leinster having hosted the starting All Blacks midfield in the space of a year..