Blues, All Blacks loose forward Akira Ioane confirms he’s heading to Japan for his rugby

Monday, 10 June 2024

Blues and All Blacks loose forward Akira Ioane says he is putting his family first in his decision to head to Japan at the end of this Super Rugby Pacific campaign to continue his rugby career.

The 28-year-old starting Blues blindside flanker, and 21-test All Black, confirmed on a video announcement on the Blues’ social media channels he had made the decision to take up an offer in Japan, which meant the current Super Rugby campaign will be his last for the franchise he has represented since a teenager.

Ioane’s Blues meet the ACT Brumbies in the first of Super Rugby Pacific’s semifinals on Friday night at Eden Park, with the club chasing its first full championship since 2003.

Powerhouse Blues loose forward Akira Ioane will wind up his career with the Auckland franchise at the end of this season.

“It means a lot. I’m a born-and-bred Auckland boy, and never really thought about going anywhere else. This is home -- it’s always been home,” said Ioane of his decision to head to Japan. “I had to make a hard decision, and I’ve decided to leave the Blues at the end of this year.

“It’s a tough decision … I just thought it was time. I’ve been here 10 years since I was a young kid coming out of school. It was the toughest decision I’ve had to make so far, and it’s going to suck leaving, but I’m going on to what I think are bigger and better things, where I want to be, where I want to finish my rugby.”

After the recent birth of his first child, a boy, Ioane said his priorities had to change.

“It’s not just me and my partner I have to worry about, it’s making sure I have the means to look after my family,” added Ioane. “That was part of the decision to head over to Japan and make the most of what I think is the back end of my career.

”I’m still young, but I want to be a part of his life and make sure he has everything that we didn’t have growing up. Them before me is sort of my mindset now.“

Ioane first broke into the Blues as a 19-year-old during the 2015 Super Rugby season, following hard on the heels of some standout feats with the national sevens side (a world series title and Commonwealth Games silver medal) and New Zealand Maori in 2014.

He went on to make his All Blacks debut in 2017 against a French XV in Lyon and played the first of his 21 tests against the Wallabies in Brisbane in 2020. His last international appearance was against Scotland on the 2022 November tour.

Akira Ioane has been a key member of the Blues who have been knocking loudly on the championship door over recent seasons.

Under international eligibility regulations, Ioane would be available to play for either Japan (where he was born) or Samoa (where he has parental connections) by November of 2025.

Ioane has been a key member of Blues sides knocking loudly on the championship door of Super Rugby in recent seasons. They were beaten finalists in 2022 at home against the Crusaders, after winning 15 straight leading in, and last year were knocked out at the semifinal stage, also by the red and blacks.

The Blues did win a shortened Trans-Tasman competition in 2021 after it had been added on to follow Super Rugby Aotearoa, played under Covid restrictions.

Ioane’s presence shapes as crucial for the Blues as they look to win through to another final, especially now that captain and powerhouse lock Patrick Tuipulotu has been ruled out with torn medial ligament in his right knee.