Every so often, New Zealand produce a rugby player capable of taking your breath away. Rieko Ioane falls firmly into that category.

Standing at 6ft 2in tall and weighing more than 16 stone, he’s a modern day rugby athlete with a bundle of skills to boot.

Related: All Blacks Rugby World Cup squad

Ten things you should know about Reiko Ioane

1. Born on March 18, 1997 in Auckland.

2. His dad, Eddie, played international rugby for Samoa and his mother Sandra Wihongi is a former Black Fern.

3. Rieko’s brother Akira is also an All Blacks international, making 21 appearances for his country.

4. The Ioane family migrated to Japan when Rieko was young, and his father played professionally for Ricoh Black Rams.

5. He competed in the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics and won the All Blacks Sevens Player of the Year.

6. Made his provincial debut for Auckland aged 17 after being signed in 2015, and for the Blues in 2016.

7. Rieko was first called up to the All Blacks in 2016 for the Rugby Championship but wasn’t capped. He made his debut later that year off the bench against Italy and scored his first Test try in a 68-10 victory.

8. Was the youngest player selected by New Zealand for the All Blacks squad to face the British and Irish Lions in 2017 after a barnstorming display for the Blues in their 22-16 win over the touring side.

9. Earned his 100th cap for the Blues in the Super Rugby Pacific defeat to the Crusaders in 2023.

10. Before the 2023 Rugby Championship, Ioane had scored 33 tries in 59 All Blacks appearances – four behind Jonah Lomu’s haul of 37 (from 63 appearances).

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