Whether he can rediscover the form that made him reliable
In the long arc of a rugby career, few moments are as clarifying as an omission — and Scott Robertson's decision to leave Rieko Ioane out of the All Blacks' matchday squad for Saturday's clash with Ireland in Chicago speaks quietly but firmly about the cost of lost form. At 28, with 87 caps and 38 tries behind him, Ioane stands at a crossroads: a decorated past on one side, an uncertain future at Leinster on the other. The dropping is not a verdict on a career, but it is a question mark placed at a pivotal moment.
- Robertson has cut Ioane from the 23-man squad entirely, a stark signal that struggling performances during the Rugby Championship have exhausted the coaching staff's patience.
- The experiment of moving Ioane back to the wing — a position he hadn't regularly occupied since before the 2019 World Cup — unravelled badly enough that he was sent to play provincial rugby for Auckland mid-tournament.
- With Leinster waiting on the other side of this tour, the omission lands at the worst possible moment, amplifying doubts about whether Ioane can fill the considerable void left by Jordie Barrett in Dublin.
- Ioane does remain on the end-of-year tour squad for Scotland, England, and Wales, leaving a narrow window to rebuild confidence before his Irish chapter begins.
- In Irish rugby circles, the signing had already drawn scepticism — and Robertson's decision has given those concerns fresh and uncomfortable weight.
Scott Robertson has left Rieko Ioane out of the All Blacks' matchday squad for Saturday's test against Ireland at Soldier Field in Chicago — a pointed omission for a player with 87 caps and 38 international tries who is weeks away from beginning a new chapter at Leinster.
The roots of the decision lie in a difficult Rugby Championship campaign. Robertson had moved Ioane back to the wing at the tournament's outset, revisiting a role he had largely left behind after the 2019 World Cup. The shift never found its footing. After featuring in tests against France and the opening Rugby Championship matches, Ioane's form dropped sharply enough following the loss to Argentina that he was sent back to play for Auckland in the regional NPC competition. He managed a bench appearance in the final Rugby Championship fixture against Australia before making the cut for the northern hemisphere tour — though not, it turns out, for the starting lineup in Chicago.
The timing casts a long shadow over his imminent arrival in Dublin. Leinster signed Ioane to replace Jordie Barrett, whose influence on the province last season was transformative — a formidable standard for any incoming player to meet. At 28, Ioane should be approaching his peak, and his international record remains impressive on paper. But the question his Leinster employers and supporters must now sit with is whether the player arriving in Ireland will be the one they signed, or a diminished version still searching for his best form.
The move had already attracted scepticism in some Irish rugby quarters, and Robertson's decision has sharpened those doubts. Ioane will remain on tour through Scotland, England, and Wales, offering some opportunity to rebuild — but whether he can rediscover his edge before stepping into one of European rugby's most demanding environments remains genuinely uncertain.
Scott Robertson's All Blacks squad for Saturday's match against Ireland in Chicago contains a notable absence: Rieko Ioane, the centre-winger who is set to join Leinster in the coming weeks. The omission marks a sharp turn in fortune for a player who has worn the black jersey 87 times and scored 38 tries, but whose recent performances have left the coaching staff with little choice but to leave him out of the matchday 23.
The decision reflects a difficult stretch for Ioane across the Rugby Championship. Robertson had shifted him back to the wing position at the start of the tournament—a role he had occupied early in his international career before settling at centre since the 2019 World Cup. The experiment yielded mixed results. Ioane featured in two tests against France and the opening three matches of the Rugby Championship in that wing role, but when New Zealand lost to Argentina, his form had deteriorated enough that he was dropped to play for Auckland in the regional NPC competition. He appeared in one match against Counties Manukau before earning a bench spot in the final Rugby Championship game against Australia.
He made the cut for New Zealand's end-of-year tour, which will take the All Blacks through Scotland, England, and Wales after the Ireland fixture. But this Saturday at Soldier Field, Ioane will watch from the sidelines as the All Blacks pursue their third consecutive victory over Ireland, a streak that began with a quarter-final win at the 2023 World Cup.
The timing of the omission casts a shadow over Ioane's impending move to Dublin. Leinster, the four-time European Cup champions, signed him to fill a gap left by Jordie Barrett's departure—a tall order given the transformative impact Barrett had on the province last season. At 28 years old, Ioane should theoretically be entering his prime, and his resume is undeniably strong. Yet the question now hanging over his arrival in Ireland is whether he can rediscover the form that made him a reliable performer for his country.
The move itself had already raised eyebrows among some Irish rugby circles. Ioane's history with Irish players and fans is complicated, and the decision to bring him in was seen by some as a perplexing choice for a club of Leinster's stature. Now, with Robertson's decision to drop him from the matchday squad, those concerns have only deepened. Whether Ioane can reset in a new environment and climb back to the standard expected of him remains an open question—one that will likely define his first season in the Irish league.
Citas Notables
Ioane was dropped after struggling on the wing during the Rugby Championship and regional competition— Scott Robertson's selection decision
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why would Robertson drop him now, just before he leaves for Leinster? Seems like poor timing.
It's not about timing—it's about form. Ioane struggled through the Rugby Championship, and Robertson had to make a call based on what he was seeing on the field. You can't pick a player just because he's heading somewhere else.
But doesn't that make Ioane's move to Leinster look like a gamble?
Absolutely. Leinster signed him expecting a player at a certain level, and right now he's not there. They're hoping the change of scenery helps him find his feet again.
What's the real issue—is he just out of form, or is something deeper wrong?
Hard to say from the outside. He was moved back to the wing, which isn't his natural position anymore. Sometimes a player needs time to adjust, and sometimes it just doesn't work. Right now, it hasn't worked.
And Leinster fans are watching all this unfold?
They have to be nervous. They lost Jordie Barrett, who was brilliant for them, and now they're getting a player who's just been dropped by his national team. That's not the arrival they were hoping for.