Rieko Ioane

He scored his first try for the All Blacks in the 73rd minute to help them to a 68-10 victory.

Making his debut at the age of 19 years and 239 days, Rieko Ioane became the eighth youngest All Blacks Test debutant.

Ioane was not named in the squad to play against Ireland the following week, but came off the bench in the next game against France to replace Ryan Crotty in the 44th minute, in front of 78500 people.

Their parents were also rugby players, with father Eddie Ioane a former Samoan international lock who represented the country at the 1991 Rugby World Cup and mother Sandra Wihongi a former lock for the Black Ferns internationally.

Rieko Edward Ioane (born 18 March 1997) is a New Zealand professional rugby union footballer who plays as a wing or as a centre for New Zealand team Blues in Super Rugby and the New Zealand national team.

Rieko Edward Ioane was born on 18 March 1997 in Auckland, the son of Sandra Wihongi and Eddie Ioane.

He and his parents migrated to Japan during his early life after his father got a job playing professional rugby union in the country for Ricoh Black Rams.

Growing up in New Zealand, he attended University of Auckland and Auckland Grammar School.

While at secondary school, Ioane was chosen to play for Grammar first XV at the age of sixteen.

He spent two years representing the side.

He is the younger brother of Māori All Blacks, Blues, Auckland and New Zealand Sevens team-mate Akira Ioane.

In his youth career, he was selected to play in the 2014 and 2015 Sevens World Series for New Zealand and took part in Auckland Grammar School first XV, the top representative team in secondary school.

Ioane represents the Auckland provincial team and made his professional debut for the union in 2015 at the age of 17.

At 17 years old, Ioane made his Sevens debut at the 2015 Wellington Sevens tournament and only a year later he was part of the New Zealand Sevens Team competing at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Ioane was signed for Auckland in 2015 and the Blues in 2016, instantly becoming regular starters for both teams at outside centre.

Ioane was just 17 years old when he made his debut for Auckland, becoming one of the youngest players to be selected at a Provincial level in New Zealand.

He spent a season at the Mitre 10 Cup side, before earning a place in the Blues 2016 Super Rugby squad.

Ioane made his senior international debut for New Zealand in November 2016 at the age of 19, becoming one of the youngest players to represent New Zealand's All Blacks.

Ioane has been named in many of the New Zealand squads since his debut, missing few tests due to injury.

Ioane won the award for All Blacks Sevens Player of The Year later in the year, at the NZ Rugby Awards on 15 December 2016.

Ioane was called up to the senior New Zealand squad for the 2016 Rugby Championship as injury cover for Waisake Naholo after Naholo tore his hamstring against Australia.

Ioane made his debut during the end of the year tour off the bench against Italy on 12 November 2016, replacing Israel Dagg in the 50th minute.

He was nominated for the World Rugby Men's 15s Player of the Year in 2017 and 2018.

Ioane opened the 2017 Super Rugby season's first game with a hat-trick against the Melbourne Rebels.

Ioane was one of the highest try-scorers of the 2017 Super Rugby season, leading the Blues with 10 tries.

Following Sonny Bill Williams' long-awaited return to rugby from an injured achilles in 2017, Ioane was shifted to the left wing for the Blues halfway through the season to accommodate for Williams starting at inside centre and George Moala moving to outside centre.

Ioane was named to start on the left wing in the Blues' historic match against the British & Irish Lions and was one of the standout players in the fixture, crossing over the try-line three times in the fixture, but two of the potential tries were ruled out so Ioane contributed only five points to a 22-16 win.

Ioane was named in the All Blacks squad for the 3-test Lions series the following day.

Ioane was the youngest player selected for New Zealand in the All Blacks squad to face the British & Irish Lions in 2017, the day after terrorising the Lions' defence in the Blues' 22-16 win.

For the first test, Ioane was chosen over 53-test veteran Julian Savea to start as the left wing.

Ioane scored two tries in the second half of the match, the first, finishing off a set-move as the All Blacks shifted the ball to the left from a scrum.

The second, a sublime run from the Lions' 10m line after picking the ball following the ball being dropped by Liam Williams attempting to catch a high kick, helping New Zealand to win 30-15.

Ioane started in the second test, where the All Blacks were defeated 24-21.

Ioane was ruled out of the third after falling ill with influenza.

Ioane confirmed his spot as a regular starter throughout the 2017 Rugby Championship and displaced Savea in the entire squad, being awarded Man of the Match against Australia on 26 August and finished the tournament as the joint-highest try-scorer with Australian fullback Israel Folau.

Ioane scored his fifth of the tournament in the 25-24 win over South Africa, intercepting the ball from 80 metres, outpacing the Springboks defence to score.

He was only subbed off once in 2017, being replaced by debutant David Havili with nine minutes left in the second test against Argentina during the Rugby Championship.

Ioane clearly established himself as New Zealand's first-choice left winger on the 2017 end-of-year tour, having great games against France and Scotland, earning himself nominations for World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year and World Rugby Player of the Year, the latter of which he was up against teammate Beauden Barrett for.

He won a championship with Auckland in 2018 and was named Tom French Māori Player of the Year, NZRU Sevens Player of the Year, and World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year.

Ioane was controversially only used once in the Rugby World Cup pool stages in 2019 against Canada but was named in the New Zealand squad against Wales in the bronze final.