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All Black's England switch hanging by a thread
By Neil Fissler
Hopes of seeing All Blacks and Blues number eight Hoskins Sotutu in the Premiership next season appear to be hanging by a thread, with a potential switch to play for England also in the balance.
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Sotutu, 26, is under contract with the NZRFU until 2026, but there is a break clause in his deal should he choose to pursue residency in another country. It has been widely reported that he has spoken with England head coach Steve Borthwick.
Saracens, Leicester Tigers and Gloucester are all understood to have shown interest, with Gloucester emerging as frontrunners. The Cherry and Whites are set to lose Zach Mercer to Toulon at the end of the season. Provence Rugby are monitoring Albert Tuisue, and Ruan Ackermann has been linked with a return to South Africa.
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Gloucester are in the market for a top-class replacement and have held talks with Sotutu, who won the last of his 14 All Blacks caps in a 25-25 draw with England at Twickenham in November 2022.
Injuries ruled him out of Scott Robertson’s squad last summer. He could switch international allegiances in November, which marks three years since his last All Blacks appearance. He qualifies for England through his mother.
The Auckland-born back row could also represent Fiji, who his father Waisake Sotutu played for 12 times, but England — and a potential Enhanced Elite Player Squad contract worth around £160,000 — is considered a more likely option.
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Sotutu has played three games for the Blues this season. He missed three weeks of the campaign after receiving a red card for a high tackle against the Highlanders, the first sending-off of his career.
RugbyPass sources suggest he is now leaning towards staying in New Zealand. Unless there is a late change of heart, a Premiership move appears off the table for next season.
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The Northern Hemisphere has proven to be just what some players need to go to that next level.
Brad Shields is way better now than he was before he left, JGP, Bundi etc
It’s just the thing some guys need.
DuPlessis Kiriffi just got pizzed off and has decided to stomp the guts out of anyone who tries to get between him and the black jersey he feels is rightfully his, But maybe the Northern Hemisphere environment will see Hoskins go up a gear into a consistently great loosie.
Doesn’t guarantee he’d get Locke for England but Hoskins at his best would be pretty hard to go past.
Yeah Shields has been good, in that he’s finally started catching the ball. It was the only thing stopping him from being an All Black, and he fixed while he was ineligible! Poor bugger.
I think I’ve seen just one drop from him, amazing as he’s kept up his aggressiveness with and around the ball still.
I would have the positive for Hoskins is that he would be treated at face value and appreciated for his unique style, instead of being told what he’s not to be an All Black, but I actually hear things have improved on the communcation front.
Brad Schields was selected for England from NZ because he was good. He has not gotten better and is now going down hill. Aki and Lowe were young when they left. Plenty go to the English comp to retire. It certainly does not improve a player
The utter absurdity of WR’s ‘eligibility’ rules. Whereby a NH team can simply reach down into the SH and pick a player with no substantive link to their country so they can play for their national team. Presumably this is because they simply cannot find or produce the right players. Turning international rugby into just another club competition dependent on money.
Sport all over the world allows national representation thru hereditary reasons and residence so don’t really understand where you are coming from with this?
Probably ruled himself out via poor attitude already and no amount of reiko talking up individuality will remove the sulks hes had in the past. England have good forwards already
England have absolutely no need for him. Tom Willis and Ben Earl are better with a much higher work rate.
that must be why England has had so much success recently?
Gloucester are in the market for a top-class replacement ..Well why would they then be talking to HS?
You’re talking about the English Premiership here Andrew, what do you think it is?
Absolutely no certainty he would make the current English squad. He’s not in the All Black conversation either. Physical, explosive player with ball in hand but sometimes struggles to impose himself fully on all aspects of the game.
English loose forward stocks are pretty healthy currently and already feature a kiwi or two. A move to the UK would have to be for the Premiership on its own merits - with no better odds for international honors - and would close the door on any further possible AB future. Increased work rate, motivation, energy combined with his obvious skills could see him back in contention in NZ but it is not going to be handed to him.
Not if England are going to give him a couple o appearances a year for a 200k top up, he won’t need to break into the top group. This is not the ABs in more ways than just England matching them in loose fowards.
His skill set will be unique though!
Who are the Kiwis (plural)? The only one I can think of is Ethan Root.