All Blacks centre Rieko Ioane will be a part of the Irish membership Leinster subsequent season on a sabbatical break.
The 28-year-old had a sabbatical clause in his contract which permits him to skip one Tremendous Rugby Pacific season with the Blues and spend six months overseas.
He follows within the footsteps of Jordie Barrett, who joined Leinster final yr on a short-term deal.
Regardless of this short-term transfer, Ioane stays contracted with the All Blacks via to the 2027 World Cup, together with his break set for the December-June window.
“I will be heading to Leinster on the finish of the yr on a sabbatical break,” Ioane posted on Instagram on Wednesday.
“It is an thrilling alternative to play in Eire for an iconic workforce, develop my recreation and expertise one thing completely different with my household. Will likely be again refreshed and able to rock the second half of 2026. Till then locked in with my blues brothers.”
There may be some irony in Ioane’s transfer given his previous long-running feud with former Eire captain and Leinster participant Johnny Sexton, which started when the All Blacks defeated Eire within the 2023 World Cup quarterfinals, and which has prompted some backlash from Irish media.
“We’re thrilled to verify the signing of Rieko on a seven-month contract which is able to come into impact after this yr’s Autumn Nations Sequence fixtures,” Leinster head coach Leo Cullen stated in an announcement. “Just like our present association with Jordie, we might wish to thank the NZRU for his or her assist facilitating the transfer.
“Rieko is a world-class, 81-cap All Black who has been working on the very prime degree of the worldwide recreation and Tremendous Rugby for a lot of seasons.
“He’s an thrilling, versatile exterior again who will convey tempo, rugby expertise and expertise to Leinster. That have will add huge worth to the group right here and our youthful gamers particularly will study a lot from seeing how Rieko prepares, trains and performs.
“We won’t wait to welcome Rieko to Leinster and I am positive all our supporters will be a part of me in making him and his household really feel at house when the time comes.”
