Digby Ioane facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Digby Ioane

Birth name	Digby Anthony Natu Ioane
Date of birth	(1985-07-14) 14 July 1985 (age 39)
Place of birth	Wellington, New Zealand
Height	179 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Weight	93 kg (14 st 9 lb)
School	St. Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace St John's, Dandenong
Notable relative(s)	Ole Avei (nephew) Monty Ioane (nephew)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Centre / Wing Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) 2007 Melbourne 8 (5) 2013–2015 Stade Français 25 (25) 2015−2017 Honda Heat 31 (20) 2017–2019 Panasonic Wild Knights 8 (25) 2020 Colorado Raptors 0 (0) Correct as of 30 December 2020 Super Rugby Years Team Apps (Points) 2006–2007 Force 20 (20) 2008–2013 Reds 66 (90) 2017 Crusaders 3 (5) Current local club Panasonic Wild Knights Correct as of 30 December 2020 National team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) 2007–2013 Australia 35 (55) 2005–2008 Australia A 5 (15) 2005–2007 Australia U21 5 (10) 2004 Australia U19 () 2002–2003 Australian Schoolboys () Correct as of 30 December 2020

Digby Ioane (born 14 July 1985) is a famous Australian professional rugby union player. He played for many teams around the world, including the Colorado Raptors in the USA. He was known for playing as a centre or wing.

Digby also played for the Panasonic Wild Knights in Japan and Stade Français in France. In Australia, he played for the Western Force and the Queensland Reds. He even played for the Crusaders in New Zealand. One of his biggest achievements was playing international rugby for the Australia Wallabies.

Digby Ioane: Early Life & Rugby Start

Digby Ioane was born in Wellington, New Zealand. When he was two years old, his family moved to Melbourne, Australia. His family is from Samoa.

He started playing rugby league and then rugby union when he was young. Digby played for Victoria in junior rugby. In 2002, he moved to Brisbane.

School Rugby & Junior Teams

Digby went to St. Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace. He played for the school's top rugby team for two years. He was chosen for the Australian Schoolboys team in 2002 and 2003.

In 2004, Digby joined the Queensland Reds academy. He also played for the Australian Under 19 and Under 21 teams. He played for the Australian Under 21 team again in 2005.

Digby's Rugby Journey

Even though he hadn't played in the main Super Rugby league yet, Digby was picked for the Wallabies team in 2005. This team toured France and the United Kingdom. He played for the Australia 'A' team during this tour.

Playing for the Western Force (2006–2007)

In 2006, Digby joined the Western Force team. This was a new team in the Super Rugby competition. He played his first Super Rugby game on 10 February 2006.

Digby played 12 games and scored two tries in his first season. After the Super 14 season, he played for Australia 'A' again. He was also nominated for a top award for Under 21 players in 2006.

In 2007, Digby had some small injuries. He played 8 games for the Western Force. On 3 June 2007, he played his first Test match for Australia against Wales. He made a great tackle and scored a try in this game.

Success with the Queensland Reds (2008–2013)

Ioane with the Wallabies in 2011.

Digby Ioane joined the Queensland Reds in 2008. He had a broken hand and was suspended twice for tackles. But he still played well enough to join the Wallabies team. He also played for Australia A.

In 2009, Digby played as an outside centre. He was very good in this new position. He had a shoulder injury that ended his season early. But he worked hard and returned for the Wallabies tour at the end of the year.

Digby continued his strong performance for the Reds in 2010. He played on the wing and at outside centre. He scored five tries, which was one of the highest on his team.

The year 2011 was amazing for Digby. He played 15 Super Rugby games for the Reds and scored five tries. This helped him get picked for the Wallabies' 2011 Tri-Nations and World Cup teams.

In 2012, Digby was suspended for 4 matches for a tackle. Many people thought he was becoming a great international player. He helped Australia win all three Test matches against Wales in June 2012. He also scored a key try against Argentina in the 2012 Rugby Championship.

In 2013, Digby played ten more Super Rugby games for the Reds. He played in the first Test against the British and Irish Lions on 22 June 2013. He got a shoulder injury in this game and could not play for the rest of the series.

Playing in Europe and Japan

Ioane playing for Stade Français in 2014.

At the end of 2013, Digby moved to Europe. He signed a two-year contract to play for Stade Français in France. He played his first game for them on 29 December 2013.

After France, Digby moved to Japan. He joined the Honda Heat team for the 2015–16 Top League season.

Time with the Crusaders (2017)

In July 2016, Digby signed a two-year contract with the Crusaders team in New Zealand. He played in the Brisbane Global Rugby Tens tournament. He even scored a try against his old team, the Queensland Reds.

Digby was part of the Crusaders team that won the Super Rugby title in 2017. He played against his friend Quade Cooper and the Reds again. He also scored his first try for the Crusaders against the Western Force.

Injuries made his time with the Crusaders difficult in 2017. Even though he had a contract for 2018, he decided to return to Japan. He wanted to play full-time rugby with the Panasonic Wild Knights.

Back in Japan with Panasonic Wild Knights (2017–2018)

Digby Ioane joined the Panasonic Wild Knights team. He played with his former Wallabies teammate Berrick Barnes. They were part of the team for the 2018 Brisbane Global Rugby Tens tournament.

Digby Ioane's Personal Life

Digby Ioane is of Samoan heritage. He is a Roman Catholic. He has many tattoos that are inspired by his family and his faith. Digby has two nephews who also play rugby. They are Ole Avei, who plays for Samoa, and Monty Ioane, who plays for Italy.