Benetton lock in Ioane's signature
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Supersonic speed, explosive strength and a lot of quality in both phases of the game. Monty Ioane decides to remain tied to the green-and-white colors and renews his contract with Benetton Rugby until June 30, 2024 . Ioane is a winger who has been offering technical performance of absolute level for several seasons with the Lions jersey. Finisher with few equals in the Celtic field, with bubbling speed and excellent defensive skills in particular in tackles, Monty is also a reference within the group coached by coach Marco Bortolami.
180 cm tall and 95 kg, Ioane arrived in Treviso in November 2017. An Australian of Samoan origins, born in Melbourne on October 30, 1994, Monty began to look out for rugby at the age of 16, in Brisbane, in academy of the Queensland Reds, where he has the opportunity to show off. After just two years he arrives in Europe in the ranks of the Stade Francais together with his ex Wallabies uncle Digby Ioane. Monty stays in France for two seasons in which he wears the Parisian club's jersey both in the TOP 14 and in the Challenge Cup. In the summer of 2015 he is called by the Chiefs, and it is in the Tasman first and in the Bay of Planty after, that Ioane played in the his last seasons in Miter 10. After that the landing in Ghirada and with Benetton Rugby Ioane's talent explodes in all its facets. Remarkable technical background, fearful sidesteps and a warrior mentality are some of the strengths of Ioane's rugby repertoire. Monty was also the first, and to date only, Leone to appear in the Guinness PRO14 "Dream Team", not only in a single edition, but in two consecutive years, respectively in 2019 and 2020. Since his arrival in Monigo, Ioane collected 75 appearances and 30 goals achieved, significant numbers for a winger with undoubted physical and technical abilities. Monty was a key interpreter of the Lions in winning the PRO14 playoffs in 2019 and winning the Rainbow Cup in 2021. He is also one of the pillars of coach Marco Bortolami's new course in the United Rugby Championship. Moreover, from the autumn of 2020 Ioane became eligible to represent the Italian national team and collected 9 caps, signing two goals in the Six Nations 2021.
“We are finally delighted to be able to announce the long-awaited extension of Monty Ioane. A gift that we make to our fans and partners in this final calendar year; who with passion and efforts do not cease to show their support despite the objective difficulties connected with the period we are going through. As you have surely learned recently, several high-level clubs had come forward with the concrete intention of taking the player away from Treviso. The success of the negotiation was certainly determined both by the corporate project presented to Monty and by his desire to stay. In fact, his attachment to the shirt and the gratitude he showed towards Benetton Rugby meant that everything could be concluded in the best possible way ” The enthusiastic comment of the general manager Antonio Pavanello.
Here are Ioane's words when signing the renewal until 2024: “The decision to stay with Benetton Rugby was an easy one. The whole club has been taking care of me and my family ever since we arrived, we couldn't be happier than that. I really feel privileged to have the possibility of being able to give back something to the club that gave me a chance and that has helped me to grow more over the years "