Super Rugby is dying and losing viewers? Tell that to Rieko Ioane.
All Blacks and Blues midfielder Rieko Ioane has once again caused a stir on his Instagram page, following the Blues last second win over the Chiefs on Saturday.
Ioane has sparked more conversation amongst his fans and followers regarding his online posts in the past few weeks.
After their win on Saturday, he was quick to post on his instagram with the caption
“Should’ve killed me when you had the chance” alongside the photo of him silencing the Chiefs faithful at FMG Stadium in Waikato.
The post was met with different reactions online. Some criticised the 28 year old for his posts while most Blues fans rallied in support.
Moments later, Rieko posted on his instagram this time on his story, with a post now dressing the earlier post.
“To all the “fans” let’s keep family and friends out of my comments – I know the game I play, but that is for me not them,” he said.
“Live and die by the sword, all to create a spectacle of the beautiful game.
The instagram posts of Ioane have become a normality for the star player.
And if you are a follower of his social media pages then you’d understand that he does not back away from voicing his opinions online.
Or as he simply puts it, “living by the sword”
Former rugby players Mils Muliaina and Stephen Donald weighed in on Ioane’s instagram posts and its impact it brings to Super Rugby on The Breakdown show.
“We can now forget about paying marketing companies to promote our game because we got Rieko Ioane,” Donald said.
“If you’re a fan of the Blues, you’ll love it that the fact that one of our stars is still up for the fight is still showing you that he is ready to scrap. And if you’re the opposition fans you’re going there to watch how your team reacts”
“It’s absolutely brilliant”
Former Blues and Chiefs player Mulianna also shared the same thoughts.
“If you look into the things he is saying, he is fully backing himself. He actually responds to some of the comments. It wasn’t something that we sort of had back in the day, but it’s the day and age now” Muliaina added.
In the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarterfinal after Ireland narrowly lost to the All Blacks, Ioane was seen getting into a heated discussion with Ireland veteran flyhalf Johnny Sexton.
A year later, Sexton reveals what was said in the conversation in his book “Obesessed-The Autobiography of Johnny Sexton”
(Extract from Johnny Sexton’s book)
“And as I stand there, hands on hips, staring in disbelief at Barnes (referee Wayne Barnes), Rieko Ioane still comes up to me and tells me, “Get back ten metres.”
“Penalty,” he says. “Back ten.” And then, after Barnes blows the final whistle, he says, “Don’t miss your flight tomorrow. Enjoy your retirement, you c….”
“So much for the All Blacks’ famous “no d…heads” policy. So much for their humility. I walk after Ioane and call him a fake-humble f…er. It doesn’t look great, me having a go at one of them just after we’ve lost. But I can’t be expected to ignore that.
A few weeks after Sexton reveals his side of what went down, All Blacks comfortably defeat Ireland at Aviva Stadium.
With the ongoing Sexton-Ioane saga at its height at the time, the All Blacks made the option of having Ioane lead their haka.
After the win, Ioane took to Instagram posting the image of him leading the haka with the caption “Put that in the book”
With the Blues heading this Friday for a much anticipated semi final showdown with the Crusaders, it can be said that a lot of attention towards the game is fuelled by the rivalry of the two sides, but also on just the polarising stature that Rieko now brings to the fans of the sport.
His character and online presence that he brings to the table definitely draws a lot of people to the games whether they are fans or haters of his work.
It also seems that Ioane himself has taken upon the role of being the “bad guy” for Super Rugby and understanding how he can influence attention to these games.
As he said in his own words, “I know the game I play……Live and die by the sword, all to create a spectacle of the beautiful game”
Hate him or love him, there is no denying that his antics online is definitely grabbing attention towards Super Rugby and its matches.
And as they take on the Crusaders in Christchurch, many people will be anticipating just what he might possibly post next.
