All Blacks center Rieko Ioane will join Irish club Leinster next season during a sabbatical.
The 28-year-old player has a clause in his contract that allows him to miss a Super Rugby Pacific season with the Blues and spend six months abroad.
Ioane follows in the footsteps of Jordie Barrett, who joined Leinster last year on a short-term contract.
Despite this temporary move, Ioane remains contracted with the All Blacks until the 2027 World Cup, with his break scheduled for the December-June period.
The player shared the news on their social media:
There is a certain irony in Ioane’s move given his long-standing feud with former Ireland captain and Leinster player Johnny Sexton, which began when the All Blacks defeated Ireland in the 2023 World Cup quarter-finals.
We are delighted to confirm the signing of Rieko on a seven-month contract which will come into effect after this year’s Autumn Nations Series matches.
Leo Cullen, Leinster Head Coach
Cullen added:
“Similar to our current agreement with Jordie, we would like to thank the NZRU for their help in facilitating the move.
Rieko is a world-class All Black with 81 international matches who has been operating at the highest level of international and Super Rugby for many seasons.
He is an exciting and versatile outside back who will bring speed, rugby skills and experience to Leinster. That experience will add massive value to the group here and our younger players especially will learn a lot from seeing how Rieko prepares, trains and plays.
We are excited to welcome Rieko to Leinster and I am sure all our supporters will join me in making him and his family feel at home when the time comes.
