Rieko Ioane looking forward for the Eden Park challenge

New Zealand winger Reiko Ioane is looking forward to the challenge of playing at Eden Park in Auckland as they take on Australia in the Bledisloe Cup opener against Australia on Saturday.

Ioane's first game for the All Blacks at Eden Park came against British and Irish Lions during the series in 2017 with his only other game at the venue coming in June 2018 against France and has scored four tries.

With Will Jordan injured, Ioane has returned at left wing for the weekend's encounter and is excited to take on the Wallabies.

"I haven't played there in a while, so I'm looking forward to the challenge. I have some special memories on that field, so it is going to be a special challenge come Saturday," he told All Blacks' official website.

Meanwhile, New Zealand head coach Ian Foster had high praises for Ioane for adding more flexibility to the squad.

“He’s as sharp as I’ve seen him,” said Foster. “He had a calf injury that really impacted him in 2019, it slowed him down a little bit. I think he came back in 2020 and now this year, is as sharp as I’ve seen.

“And also confident, he’s getting a grip around 13, and again I’ve said this before, he’s grown quite a bit at 13. The fact is that he’s a centre/wing, I guess the debate will continue, but we are pretty happy with him at both.”