AKIRA IOANE

Position
Loose forward

Blues debut
2015 vs Chiefs

Blues caps
113 (SR 112)

Blues points
115

Born
16/01/95

Height
194cm

Weight
118kg

The ultra-talented loose forward became a crucial and powerful figure for the Blues in 2018, starting in all 16 games. Akira played all but two minutes of the entire season, earning himself the clubs MVP award in the process. Akira made his debut for the Blues in 2015 and has been terrorising opposition teams ever since.

Ioane, has rugby in his blood with his father Eddie a former Samoan international and his mother Sandra a former Black Ferns player. He was a stand-out for Auckland Grammar and the New Zealand Secondary Schools team before being snapped up by the New Zealand Sevens in 2014.

He won a silver medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games with the All Blacks Sevens team as well as playing at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Ioane made his debut for the Maori All Blacks in 2015 after standout performances with the NZ Under 20s who won the World Rugby Under 20 Championship.

While touring with the Maori All Blacks in 2017, Akira was called into the All Blacks camp as injury cover and made his All Blacks debut in a mid-week game against a French XV.

The 2018 Super Rugby season saw Akira Ioane start every single game, score eight tries and win the Blues award for Most Valuable Player.

In the opening round of the 2019 Super Rugby season, Akira played his 50th game for the Blues club before again featuring in every match of the season. He began the 2020 season with 65 Blues caps and a point to prove, given the departure of several high profile All Black loose forwards.

2020 was a watershed year for Akira. A Covid-19 enforced lockdown saw Akira take his physical conditioning and mental strength to a new level and his form during Super Rugby Aotearoa demanded inclusion in the All Blacks Rugby Championship squad. Not satisfied with his first taste of Test rugby, Akira had a Man of the Match performance in his second Test against Argentina.

Akira played in every single game during the 2021 season, contributing an incredible amount of defensive work to his already notable attacking flair.

2023 was a milestone year for Ioane, seeing him notch up 100 appearances for the Blues against the Crusaders in Christchurch. He spoke of his love for the 09 and the Blues club as a whole and he continues to be a presence around Blues HQ. Ioane combines power, skill, work-rate and physicality to be a real presence on the rugby field and fans will be hoping for another trademark Ioane season in 2024!