Blues react to 'freak of nature' Hoskins Sotutu's MVP-esque start to season

Hoskins Sotutu has produced two dominant performances over the opening two rounds of Super Rugby Pacific, spurring his team to two strong wins over the Drua and Highlanders.

In the round one win, Sotutu claimed two tries and he then backed that up with a hat-trick in Friday’s Super Round win, featuring near the top in all relevant statistical categories for a No 8.

The surge in form comes off the back of a disappointing 2023 campaign for the 14-time All Black, having fallen out of favour entirely with national selectors, not even making the All Blacks XV squad.

Fans were curious to see how the 25-year-old would respond in 2024, a year that shaped up as a decisive campaign to test the forward’s competitive spirit and resilience.

What those fans have been rewarded with is the best two games of Sotutu’s young Super Rugby career, two games that put him firmly as a front runner for higher honours under the new All Blacks coaching setup – who were in attendance for Friday’s masterclass in Melbourne.

“He probably needs to pass the ball to Dalton (Papali’i) a bit more often,” quipped Blues coach Vern Cotter after the game. “It was good the All Black coaches were there watching.”

“He’s hogging the ball, eh,” Blues captain Papali’i jokingly agreed. “He’s a freak of nature, I’ve known him for years now, even growing up.

“He’s got a skillset like no other, it’s that Fijian flair he has. He’s an awesome player, and has started last week and even this game on form. I hope he carries that on, because he’s a key player in our team.”

A decisive moment in the match came on the cusp of halftime when the score was tied at 15 apiece and the Highlanders had possession deep in the Blues’ 22.

The young Highlanders had proven very efficient when converting scoring opportunities early in the game and looked to have the Blues under pressure again with an eye on a halftime lead.

Screaming forward with the ball in hand just metres from the line was All Black prop Ethan de Groot, but then, a thumping hit from fellow All Black Ofa Tu’ungafasi saw de Groot spill possession and the ball found the hands of Stephen Perofeta.

The first five-eighth immediately looked to the sideline to clear the ball and bring the half to an end, but he also spied a hole in the Highlanders line. Running from behind his own goalposts, Perofeta stepped a rushing defender and glided through the gap.

The playmaker made it to halfway before dropping it off to Mark Tele’a in support, who then found Akira Ioane who rumbled into the 22. From the chaos of the break came a mistake from Highlanders fullback Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens who was subsequently yellow-carded for an illegal contest at the ruck.

Two phases after a line-out rolling maul, Mark Tele’a picked the ball up from the base of a ruck and dived over the line to hand his team the halftime lead just a minute after it looked like it would be the Highlanders with the final say of the period.

“We’re talking about initiative and space, and freeing these guys up, so they can take those opportunities, and he did, ” Cotter said of Perofeta’s highlight play. “I thought it was outstanding and the reaction of the team to get up there, from one end to the other…

“It hurts opposition teams when they think they have you boxed in and you find a way out. That’s really, really pleasing to see and the support play that came in behind was good.”