New Zealand’s Rieko Ioane opened up a fresh chapter in his war of words with former Ireland captain Johnny Sexton following Friday night’s win over Ireland at the Aviva Stadium.
The pair clashed after the All Blacks’ World Cup quarter-final win in Paris, with Sexton subsequently detailing the exchange in his recently-released autobiography, confirming that the centre had told him to “enjoy your retirement, you c**t” following Sexton’s final game for his country.
“Put that in the book,” Ioane posted on Instagram after Friday’s 23-13 win over Andy Farrell’s side, alongside pictures of him leading the haka before the game.
Asked about the decision to select Ioane for that role, All Blacks captain Scott Barrett said: “We’ve got a number of guys who can lead the haka and it was Rieko’s first opportunity.
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“We love it and the English walked forward, the Irish did that as well, and you can hear the atmosphere and the crowd really getting behind it.
“It sets the tone for what’s in store.”
