Akira Ioane celebrates one of his two tries against the Highlanders at Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin.

OPINION: Twelve months ago Akira Ioane started the season at No 8 for the Blues and lasted a game-and-a-half.

He had begun quite brightly against the Rebels in round one but by round three Murphy Taramai had been given the jersey.

Ioane had paid the price for firing too few shots against the Chiefs in round two. On Friday night he gets to show how much he has learnt against the same opponents, but the early signs are very good.

DEREK MORRISON/PHOTOSPORT Akira Ioane ploughs through the Highlanders defence last Friday.

Ioane can do things few other loose forwards can do - the size, the pace, the skills were all there against the Highlanders. And it's the No 8 jersey that gives him the licence to do it.

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When Ioane did make it back into the Blues last year it was at No 6. He played against the British and Lions twice at blindside, once for the Blues and once for the NZ Maori, and he fronted on both occasions.

But what a joy it was to see him operating at the base of the scrum for the Blues in Dunedin, taking up a deeper position to link with his wing from Aaron Smith's kicks, and roaming wide on attack on either side of the paddock.

He's a No 8. We know it now but in retrospect he always has been, from the moment he captured our attention for the New Zealand Under 20s in 2015.

Then, he formed a slick partnership with halfback Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, now of the Chiefs. Now the Blues' hopes of a good year may rely on the Akira and Augustine Pulu show.

It has become standard in discussions about Ioane to discuss work-rate. Yet there he was, deep into the last 10 minutes in Dunedin, helping force a Highlanders mistake with a big counter-ruck.

Other small areas pointed to his growth. Ioane was a key lineout target in the second half and his disruptive efforts in defensive lineouts were central to causing scrappy ball for the Highlanders.

In the first half he grabbed hold of a Highlander and tried to create a maul by holding him up. But when a tackle was called Ioane quickly let him go. Twelve months ago he would have pushed his luck, conceded a penalty, cost his side 30 metres and put them under pressure. He is learning.

But when we talk about Ioane it should also be a celebration of the special things he can do.

There are few, if any, No 8s in this country who could have made Ioane's tries on Friday look so routine.

For his scrum try, the plan was clearly to target Smith but Ioane's route to the little halfback was complicated by the movement of the scrum, which was screwing to the left. By the time Ioane actually powered over the line he had blasted through three defenders - Smith, Lima Sopoaga and Dillon Hunt.

As for his second, it looked like he was going for a Sunday jog. Even Kieran Read may no longer have Ioane's athleticism or sheer power.

Indeed, Read's injury opens an intriguing possibility - that the All Blacks use Ioane in the wide-running, athletic role that Read used to occupy.

As the years have progressed Read has played narrower, allowing Squire to roam on the edges.

If Read does not recover in time for the June series against France, would anyone grumble about a Squire-Sam Cane-Ioane back-row with the Highlanders and Chiefs hard-men freeing up Ioane to run wild on the fringes?

Once again, the possibilities look endless for Akira Ioane.