Calls mount for Hoskins Sotutu allegiance switch with 3 possibilities

I was looking forward to Razor taking over for so long but when you have clear bias towards your old club despite them being useless all year followed by more clear bias towards the 3rd best team at the expense of the actual deserving All Black Captain (a.k.a most recent World Player of the year) and the 2 best teams it is very disappointing.

Two Cents rugby did a great analysis and Sotutu comes last in all defence stats compared to all other chosen loosies. And in Tests both sides of the ball are important. His attack is well made up with Ardie in the team and a starting 8. Also, Sotutu can only play 8 when all other loosies can play one more position at this level. Lastly dude is a man-child, an Instagram sulk and a show-pony. Glad he’s not in the team.

Hoskins, my man, in the immortal words of Sam Smith “Stay with me”, 😂

Dear RUGBY, You sound like a Schoolteacher or a Boer or both. The Christie reference gave you away and your lack of “humour”

I tell people to keep away from Negative people like you. You are a S.N.I.O.P Subject To The Negative Influence Of Other People.

English speaking South Africans are educated and well mannered, unlike you. Your abuse is obviously part of your nature. That doesn’t worry me at all.

Your “negativity” seems to indicate you are “Unhappy” and that does concern me.

I want to help you Rugby.

Just sit down, chill out and have a couple of Boerewors, a dozen Castle Lager and watch a highlights reel of the Crusaders greatest WINS. You will feel so much better.

Hopefully you will see Robertson do his “Break Dance” I know you Boers just love that!

Then you will better informed of how the “Greatest Rugby Coach of the modern era” operates to WIN 7 Consecutive Super Rugby Championships OR you can

Raak net befok jou idioot

He won a title with the blues ….and performed day in and out….razor it’s like training in the old days you show up you train you play simple and he’s a big and up coming asset …loosing to men good players to other countries

There has been several comments made since the team announcement about Razors Crusaders bias. Just a quick question Do those who have made such comments remember how the last Blues v Crusaders match turned out?

While all the individual analysis makes sense - work rates, post contact metres, (body language?) etc…. The Blues pack absolutely dominated the Chiefs pack, in fact the Chiefs forwards were not great throughout the entire SR season. The only time they laid a platform against another good team all year was in the SF vs the Canes. And they did thoroughly outplay a much hyped Canes forward pack.

Yet 4 of the chiefs forwards, who repeatedly came up second best when faced with another good pack are in the squad, and would probably be 5 if Samisoni was fit.

If their forwards are so great at all the intangibles Robertson and Ryan have mentioned in interviews, why did they not dominate more games?

Same across the whole Chiefs team really. They make up a huge amount of the ABs squad, but only really turned up to one game all season.

They are all great players for sure, but if you look at the results across the season…. Maybe the stats the selectors are looking at aren’t the ones that matter to actually get results? Otherwise surely the Crusaders and Chiefs would have had better results?

So he has a year to get himself in that All Black environment. My money is on Hoskins cracking that in this years 3 squads, and once he is in, they will find there is every reason he should stay there.

He is the perfect foil to help Ardie reach the World Cup. Leon on the breakdown talked about picking wingers who are able to make those last few meters to get across the try line from close range. It’s not my wish but they appear to going the scientific route and manipulating their way forward to the goal line, and rather that someone likes Read’s linebreaking, they will want to ensure the forwards have that ability to get across the line through simple tactics. Ardie does, and Sotutu has both assisted others in it, and done it himself expertly this year. We saw Akira putting that skill on display for the first try in last weeks final, otherwise, players Riccitelli, didn’t have the physique or skill to do it against the Chiefs top defence. The All Blacks have been very guilty of not being able to take such opportunities in the last 4 years. Sititi doesn’t yet have that experience, he is more of the natural runner that Read was, but will serve as a great foil filling in at 8 this year, but I think it will be Sotutu that we see brought in to start the games in place of Ardie, whos had to play back to back competitions since Super Rugby started last year.

WRU needs to close this loophole, it only benefits the home unions. Hoskins was born in NZ, has been developed and played all his professional rugby in NZ. There should be no right for England or any other tier one nation to select him now. Fiji and the other small island state’s is a different story, that should be okay but not the UK with its already massive player base.

The 21yo Sititi’s defensive workrate is already so superior to Sotutu’s and that was probably the difference. There wasn't room in the squad for a third 8.