{"id":402955,"date":"2026-01-09T23:16:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T23:16:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/402955\/"},"modified":"2026-01-09T23:16:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T23:16:08","slug":"brian-odriscolls-verdict-on-capable-rieko-ioane-and-not-as-good-garry-ringrose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/402955\/","title":{"rendered":"Brian O’Driscoll’s verdict on ‘capable’ Rieko Ioane and ‘not as good’ Garry Ringrose"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brian O\u2019Driscoll believes that Leinster\u2019s style of play is potentially limiting the attacking talents of Rieko Ioane and Garry Ringrose.<\/p>\n

Since the arrival of Jacques Nienaber as their senior coach, the Dublin-based outfit have certainly changed tack with more of a focus on the defensive side of the game.<\/p>\n

They were a free-flowing team under Stuart Lancaster but Leinster<\/a> have struggled to find their rhythm with ball in hand this season.<\/p>\n

That is despite the arrival of 88-times capped All Black<\/a> Rieko Ioane, who has added even more talent to an already gifted backline.<\/p>\n

Ioane shackled<\/p>\n

There has not been too many searing breaks from Ioane<\/a> in his four games so far, however, with the 28-year-old doing his best work by carrying into traffic and winning the gain line battle.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Rieko\u2019s been, you know, solid, but I think they\u2019re playing to the game plan around what\u2019s expected of their centres, it\u2019s changed over the last couple of years,\u201d O\u2019Driscoll<\/a> told Off The Ball.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there\u2019s a lot more expectation to carry in close quarters, there\u2019s not too much free-flowing running outside on the 15-metre channel \u2013 taking bounce balls and connecting with your wingers.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know defensive systems don\u2019t always allow that but it definitely feels as though it\u2019s becoming an increasingly attritional position in the Leinster game plan at 12 and 13, particularly 13.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ex-Ireland boss slams Jacques Nienaber\u2019s Leinster influence amid \u2018very breachable\u2019 defence and \u2018predictable\u2019 attack<\/a><\/p>\n

Ioane will start at 13 in Leinster\u2019s Investec Champions Cup game against La Rochelle with Ireland star Garry Ringrose currently out of action through injury.<\/p>\n

Ringrose possibly edges the All Black in the province\u2019s first choice side if every player was available, but O\u2019Driscoll reckons that even he has become a bit too direct.<\/p>\n

The change in Garry Ringrose<\/p>\n

\u201cRieko is very, very capable of playing that game, it\u2019s a real strength of his \u2013 his ball-carrying \u2013 and actually in Garry\u2019s case, over the course of the last few years, that early development of that wide break and the soft hands, he\u2019s probably come away from that,\u201d the Ireland and Lions legend said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s probably more in line now with that crazy physicality that we see in his defence and I think that\u2019s meandered and found his way into the attack game as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would love for him to be able to go back a few years to some of the vision piece around opening opportunities for other people, rather than getting drawn into an arm-wrestle with his opposition centre.\u201d<\/p>\n

O\u2019Driscoll added: \u201cFrom the creative point of view, I don\u2019t think he\u2019s been, in truth, quite as good in the last few years as he has in the early parts of his Irish and Leinster career.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot to say he can\u2019t develop that again but I do think that\u2019s aligned with [Leinster\u2019s game plan], which is less inclined to allow you open running space.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the early years, he was a big elusive runner, good footwork \u2013 I just don\u2019t think that he gets that much opportunity for that anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

READ MORE: Brian O\u2019Driscoll gives his view on \u2018pantomime villain\u2019 Henry Pollock after England star\u2019s \u2018irksome\u2019 celebrations led to grudge match<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Brian O\u2019Driscoll believes that Leinster\u2019s style of play is potentially limiting the attacking talents of Rieko Ioane and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":402956,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[567],"tags":[64,63,213942,115792,818,6265,1736,44,760,85],"class_list":["post-402955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-brian-o","tag-champions-cup","tag-home-page","tag-leinster","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-rugby","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/402955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=402955"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/402955\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/402956"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=402955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=402955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=402955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}