New Zealand centre Rieko Ioane is set to join Leinster next season. The All Black, who plays for the Blues, will replace his international teammate Jordie Barrett, who is set to leave in the summer. Similar to Barrett, he will join on a short-term deal at the end of the year. The 28-year-old has 81 caps for New Zealand and has scored 37 tries. Ioane remains committed to the All Blacks through to the 2027 World Cup, but has a a sabbatical clause in his contract that allows him to skip one Super Rugby Pacific season with the Blues to spend six months abroad. For Irish fans, Ioane is not the most popular figure after comments he made following Ireland's defeat to New Zealand in the 2023 World Cup quarter-final. After the game, he told Johnny Sexton to enjoy retirement and to not miss his flight home. Ioane led the haka when New Zealand won in the Aviva Stadium last November. View this post on Instagram In a statement on Instagram, Ioane said:“What’s up fam just wanted to announce, I’ll be heading to Leinster at the end of the year on a sabbatical break. It’s an exciting opportunity to play in Ireland for an iconic team, grow my game and experience something different with my family. “Will be back refreshed and ready to rock the second half of 2026. Until then locked in with my blues brothers.”