Otago Rugby is pleased to announce that we have signed the young, exceptionally talented, Josh Ioane for the up-coming two seasons.

Josh arrived in the deep south in 2014 and his talent was immediately recognised, playing premier footy for Southern RFC in his first year out of school.  Originally from Kings College, Josh came down to study IT and fell quickly into the hands of the Otago Academy Development Programme upon arrival. A development programme was put in place for Josh and it’s great to see he has successfully progressed through the system. Being selected for the Otago U19’s, Otago 7’s and Samoa U20’s during his time here, not to mention the fact that the Samoan National team currently have his eye on him.

“When Josh first arrived he was an attacking 10, because that’s how school boy’s rugby is played. However, the further you go the more you need to develop your game and that’s why we had him playing at 12 in the early stages of his programme. He has worked extremely hard to get to where he is today. He is an exciting, attacking player who plays with flair and I expect him to excel as a Mitre 10 Cup player”. – Tim Colling, ORFU Player Development Officer.

Josh has been a standout club player for the last couple of years so it is not surprising that he is also on the radar for the Highlanders. He caused a tidal wave in the eyes of the selectors after his performance for the Highlanders Development team when they played the Crusaders earlier this year. Josh kicked 7/8 goals and played a hand in almost every try resulting in a win against a team that on paper the Highlanders Development should have lost to. He was called into the Highlanders squad following the injury of Lima Sopoaga and has been progressing well with the team.

“Josh is a tough defender at 10 who has worked very hard on his kicking game; including his goal kicking and kicking out of hand.  He has a real ability to attack the line and he is an exciting player for Otago Rugby. He see’s space really well and has been working hard at his game and taking his rugby very seriously so he deserves this opportunity. His biggest asset is his versatility, I can put him at 10, 12 or fullback if need be which, as a coach, is a real bonus having a player like that” – Cory Brown, Otago Mitre 10 Cup Coach.

Congratulations Josh, we are looking forward to seeing your talent out on the field.