'Put that in the book' - Ioane savours latest chapter of grudge match with Sexton and Ireland
Rieko Haka Dublin The Left), Autumn Match New Aviva Carson/pa Wire Ardie Stadium, (centre Savea Centre Attention: Team Ahead The Pic: International (second At Mates Niall Zealand's Of Perform And Of Ioane Left)
Having ended Ireland's 19-game winning run on home turf on Friday night, the All Blacks had plenty of reason to enjoy a slice of Saturday satisfaction.
One member of the New Zealand contingent wasn't shy in indulging himself. Rieko Ioane turned to social media to rub more than a little salt into Irish wounds in just the latest instalment of his grudge match with Jonathan Sexton.
The former captain and Ioane had a high-profile clash last October after the full-time whistle of Ireland's gut-wrenching World Cup quarter-final defeat at Kiwi hands in Paris. One of the most talked-about sections of Sexton's recently released autobiography opened up on what went down at the Stade de France.
“Don’t miss your flight home tomorrow...enjoy retirement, you c***,” was Ioane's message to Sexton, according to the out-half's account in . It left more than a bad taste.
“So much for the All Blacks’ famous 'no d********' policy," Sexton added. "So much for their humility. I walk after Ioane and call him a fake-humble f*****. It doesn’t look great, me having a go at one of them just after we’ve lost. But I can’t be expected to ignore that.”
Having again come out on the winning side against an Irish team on Friday, Ioane took to Instagram to post a photograph of himself leading the Haka at Lansdowne Road with a deliciously cutting caption which simply read: "Put that in the book" with an emoji of a joker playing card.
The last laugh? Perhaps so. And a loud one to leave Irish ears ringing too.