Shots fired.

All Blacks centre Rieko Ioane has fired back at former Ireland captain Johnny Sexton following an excerpt released from his upcoming autobiography.

Sexton detailed the exchange between the pair following last year’s Rugby World Cup quarter final meeting between Ireland and New Zealand, with Ioane having some rather choice words for the fly-half.

The incident sparked a furious reaction from Sexton at the time and the details show why…

“I couldn’t bring myself to watch the quarter-final back,” Sexton wrote.

“I don’t think I ever will. I don’t need to. I’ve mentally replayed every second, over and over. It finishes the same way every time. Rónan Kelleher still ploughs into Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock. Whitelock goes in for the poach, clearly without releasing, but somehow Wayne Barnes awards him the penalty, even though it has all happened under his nose — and it’s all over.

“And as I stand there, hands on hips, staring in disbelief at Barnes, Rieko Ioane still comes up to me and tells me, “Get back ten metres.”

“Huh?

“Penalty,” he says. “Back ten.” And then, after Barnes blows the final whistle, he says, “Don’t miss your flight tomorrow. Enjoy your retirement, you c**t.” So much for the All Blacks’ famous “no dickheads” policy. So much for their humility. I walk after Ioane and call him a fake-humble f***er. It doesn’t look great, me having a go at one of them just after we’ve lost. But I can’t be expected to ignore that.

Ioane took to Instagram, posting an image of Sexton furious with ‘Zombie’ playing with the famous lyrics ‘In your head.’