Munster and Ireland great Donncha O’Callaghan has labelled Leinster’s decision to sign Rieko Ioane as ‘bizarre’ but believes that he has been ‘harshly’ criticised during his stint at the Irish club.
The All Blacks veteran joined Leo Cullen’s men on a short-term deal until the end of the season before linking back up with the Blues ahead of the 2027 Super Rugby Pacific season.
It’s a similar deal to the one that Jordie Barrett signed last season, a move that was extremely beneficial for both parties.
However, Ioane’s time in Dublin hasn’t been looked upon as kindly with fans being critical of his performances, but O’Callaghan has questioned the signing on a personal note rather than a performance-based view.
Ioane-Sexton spat
This is after Ioane clashed with Johnny Sexton after the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-final between Ireland and New Zealand.
“And as I stand there, hands on hips, staring in disbelief at [referee Wayne] Barnes, Rieko Ioane still comes up to me and tells me, ‘Get back ten metres’,” Sexton wrote in his autobiography.
“‘Huh?’
“‘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****r. 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.”
After New Zealand’s 23-13 victory at Aviva Stadium in 2024, he clapped back, posting several pictures of himself during the game and one of Heath Ledger’s Joker with the caption: “Put that in the book”.
A few months later, Leinster announced the signing of Ioane, a deal that took most by surprise and one that O’Callaghan is still left questioning.
“I found that to be a weird signing anyway. Genuinely,” he said on The Offload podcast.
“Calibre and talent through the roof, a perfect fit, but when one of your favourite sons in Johnny Sexton doesn’t get on with him and then you pull him in… you know what I mean? I found it really bizarre and a bit crazy.
“And I know it was at the time, it was ‘Get everything to win this competition’, but I think what Leinster have done differently this year is found different ways. If they were finding a different way with someone from their own production line there, but I don’t want to take away from him in terms of his quality.”
Harsh criticism
While the former second-rower believes that Leinster could have done without signing Ioane, he believes that the criticism he has received for his performances have been blown out of proportion.
“People are saying, ‘he isn’t the player that he was’, I think they are being overly harsh,” he continued.
“He’s playing in different positions. Sometimes they’re looking for him to fill that 13 role, which we all know is the hardest spot on the pitch.”
Fellow former Ireland international Tommy Bowe added: “Of course, he played on the wing so much for New Zealand, but has been playing at 13 for New Zealand as of late as well, but that’s in a New Zealand team that hasn’t quite been firing as well.”