Since it’s the one thing Rieko Ioane lacks, ex-All Blacks believe he’s under pressure to perform.
Former All Blacks Jeff Wilson and John Kirwan believe that Billy Proctor’s outstanding performance in his All Blacks debut against Fiji will make incumbent centre Rieko Ioane step up his game.
In his debut Test, the Hurricanes center outperformed himself, showcasing the entirety of his skill set as the No. 13 jersey holder. Proctor’s performance and Rieko Ioane’s two Test matches against England clearly differed, albeit it should be noted that the competition is much different in caliber. Former All Black According to Jeff Wilson, when the All Blacks coaches evaluate their midfield alternatives, they will now be aware of Proctor’s capabilities.
“You know, Rieko has a ton of experience. In essence, Billy Proctor demonstrated all the qualities you would expect from an All Black center, Wilson said on Sky Sport NZ’s The Breakdown. “Running excellent lines, very solid defense. But once more, he won’t have this much time and space up against a formidable defense like Argentina’s or South Africa’s. “He’s going to put pressure on everyone else when he goes out and has to deliver, right? So now we are aware of his potential.
Does that imply that in a crucial Test match, he starts ahead of Rieko Ioane? It will present a unique challenge. In his evaluation of Ioane, Sir John Kirwan was straightforward and pointed out that the “last pass” that opens up space for the runners outside is now lacking from his repertoire. The former All Black commended Ioane’s performance overall, but he still needs to improve in his ability to execute the winning ball. “Under pressure, Rieko needs to learn how to give that final pass. I think that’s all he lacks,” Kirwan remarked.
He is quite strong, which helps us cross the advantage line. He’s now running the lines you saw, which are pretty demanding lines. “Rieko, Proctor would have had a blinder yesterday after what he did against Fiji. However, when the chips are down, we have to make that final pass. Technically, Rieko, you accomplish that, and our issues aren’t too severe. They say, “Oh Billy, you go out there and have a crack,” if he doesn’t improve. So Rieko will be aware that it will be on his list of things to do better at. But now when he’s under pressure, it truly inspires you.
Wilson continued by saying that Ioane is having to play catch-up on the international front in order to get back to playing with more breadth because of the Blues’ current style of play. Another aspect was the English rush defence, but the Blues haven’t played a lot of expansive games this year, so the top center lacks recent experience performing in competitive settings. Wilson stated, “With the Blues, he went an entire season without passing the ball because that’s not how the Blues played.”
The fact that he wasn’t employing soft skills and that they were playing a lot of games—again, at night with a few afternoon games—made them straightforward and violent. He excelled at applying blunt force trauma across the middle of the field. “His defense was really strong.” We should never undervalue his ability to use speed or how frequently he can come through defensively to save the day.
“However, he didn’t use his passing abilities very much during Super Rugby, so I believe it will take him some time to regain them—or perhaps even develop new habits. Additionally, you wouldn’t have many opportunities to do that when against England. There were a few opportunities that he passed up. I’m going to have to work on it.