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Watch: Rieko Ioane proves his value as midfielder to set up stunning Matt Duffie try against Chiefs

(Photo by Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images)

The logjam of midfielders vying for a place in Ian Foster’s 35-man All Blacks squad next month makes for tight competition among those contending for selection.

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Jack Goodhue, Anton Lienert-Brown, Braydon Ennor, Ngani Laumape and Rieko Ioane have all staked claims to make the national side that is set to be named on August 30, the day after the North vs South clash.

Goodhue and Lienert-Brown are expected to be named thanks to their experience, versatility and jack-of-all-trades style of play, but it’s anyones guess as to who could accompany them.

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    The net generation of All Blacks hookers

    Laumape is in undeniably good form, but could be ruled out with a suspected broken wrist, while Ennor’s pace and acceleration is hard to ignore.

    The development of Ioane’s game in his transition from wing to centre, though, could make him a leading candidate to star in Foster’s midfield, with his distribution arguably the most improved aspect of his game.

    Everyone already knows how good of a ball runner and how lethal of an attacking threat the 23-year-old can be with ball in hand, but, while playing against Lienert-Brown and the Chiefs on Sunday, he proved there’s more to his game than just that.

    In fact, it only took a few minutes for the 2017 World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year to prove his worth as a ball-playing centre.

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    Handed a scrum inside the Chiefs’ half, Ioane was fed the ball by Beauden Barrett while running a line that made it seem he was set to crash the ball up.

    Instead, he deceived the opposition defence with a swift, deceptive wipers pass to allow Blues fullback Matt Duffie to puncture the Chiefs’ defensive line and stroll on through for the first try of the match untouched.

    Of course, the well-judged running line made by Duffie was crucial to the try being scored, but the deft distribution of Ioane – a part of his game that has, until now, often gone unheralded – highlights his value and development as a midfielder.

    How Foster will interpret Ioane as a midfielder remains to be seen, but what is clear to see that he stands as a viable option to don the black jersey at No. 13 should he be called upon.

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    JW 1 hour ago
    Razor has an about turn on All Blacks eligibility rules

    I’m not sure he needs much of an excuse, or an angle, to beat his drum. He seems to be giving Razor credit, or as a proxy of his own, for far too many of the ideas we come up with in his articles.


    He’s definitely wrong about Dmac too, yes. Pretty much everything he said, in either the words he used or the way he said, was off in that interview. Said Dmac was a “linebreaker” like what, hello, with his pass? The one question I thought they were close to getting right and actually being worthwhile, other than a few bits to Robinson on the running side, was when they asked about valuing experience and youth in his second year. Really missed the boat there as they got a mundane answer, needed to be more direct and ask how does the balance between selecting experience, the players that have class, and those players that in form change now that you’re into your second year. Would he flat out deny any change, or would there have been some honesty about how little it would be. He’d be proud enough to presume he was perfect last year so he’ll obviously been taking the same ‘perfect’ approach this year! One telling tid bit was when he made up some numbers about new caps going through a World Cup cycle, where he had 10 one year, 5 the next, a couple.. and stated that youve also got to be open to ‘bolters’ so you “don’t shut any doors”.. sounds like some pretty weak innovation incoming.

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