Rieko Ioane considered leaving the Blues
- 1500
All Blacks winger Rieko Ioane has admitted that he considered leaving the Blues whilst weighing up his rugby future.
Rieko and his brother Akira both re-signed with New Zealand Rugby and the Blues. His deal is the longest of any current All Black, taking him to the end of 2022 and is thought to be worth approximately $1 million per season.
Although the details of the contract haven't been revealed, the multi-million dollar deal is believed to see him sit alongside captain Kieran Read, Sonny Bill Williams and World Player of the Year, Beauden Barrett.
The decision to stay in New Zealand was easy for Rieko Ioane but he has admitted that he was tempted to leave the Blues to join another New Zealand Super Rugby side.
"For me personally, there's always that temptation. Seeing the franchises do a lot better than we did, there's always going to be that temptation," said Ioane.
"But for me the huge factor is being at home. I'm a proud Aucklander and I want to inspire the change that hopefully gets us to where we need to get to."
Ioane's new contract expires the year before the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France but All Black coach Steve Hansen is confident the winger would still be available for selection when the time came.
"The jersey's still important to him, and that's a wonderful thing," Hansen said. "It still means a lot to a lot of young people and older people – that's why they're still here.
"I think it's great for NZ Rugby – particularly the All Blacks and the Blues. He's a special player and he's only at the beginning of his career.
