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The 2 Premiership clubs targeting ex-All Black Hoskins Sotutu
By Neil Fissler
Hoskins Sotutu is on the radar of Gallagher Premiership giants Saracens and Leicester Tigers after speaking to England coach Steve Borthwick about switching his international allegiance from the All Blacks.
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The 2024 Super Rugby Pacific player of the year, who won the last of his 14 Test caps against England at Twickenham in November 2022, recently turned down the chance of an All Blacks recall for their autumn tour of Europe.
All Blacks coach Scott Robertson is maintaining the party line that Sotutu, who also qualifies for Fiji, has a knee injury. However, it is an open secret that he has had talks with England boss Borthwick about playing for the Red Rose.
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“We were going to bring Hoskins in, but he is injured, so we have considered that over the last couple of days. With his knee and scans, he won’t come,” revealed Robinson when talking to media in Auckland about plans for a select few members of the All Blacks XV squad to join the All Blacks in Tokyo for training for the October 26 Test versus Japan.
“Hoskins has been playing on the knee for the last four weeks. So both medical groups, Counties (Manukau) and the All Blacks, got together and decided to get through this tour is a step too far for him. He is looking at options, whether it’s rest or surgery.
Sotutu, who helped the Blues win the Super Rugby Pacific title this year, would be eligible for England in 2025 under World Rugby regulations, but he is under contract to the NZRU until the end of the following year.
Even though he isn’t available for an immediate move, the Premiership big guns have expressed an interest in signing him from his hometown Blues, where he has scored 27 tries in 67 appearances. Saracens haven’t signed anybody to fill the Billy Vunipola-shaped hole left by his departure to the Top 14 outfit Montpellier in the summer, while the Tigers lost Jasper Wiese to Japanese side Urayasu D-Rocks.
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On one hand it seems like a good idea for him to go, especially as he qualifies for England so soon. If he wasn't selected on the back of the SR season he just had, then will he ever be?
On the other hand far more promising young NZ players have faded away into obscurity in the Prem/Top 14 than have become superstars.
The risk for him staying is that he is clearly seen as injury cover. If Ardie was injured they move Sititi back to 8 and bring in someone at 6. If Sititi is injured they will bring in a replacement 6. So he is in the situation where he needs both Savea and Sititi to be injured, then prove he is better than both of them to have a realistic shot at the team long term. Worst case he gets a few minutes off the bench against Italy, and is never selected for the ABs again, leaving him in the international wilderness. Would Fiji rush him into their 2027 World Cup squad?A lot less likely than Samoa or Tonga.
I think he has done that math and worked out replacing Weise at Liecester is his best shot at top quality international rugby. He's got a better chance of usurping Tom Willis than Ardie Savea.
Imagine being an English player grinding it out in the system all these years and Hoskin's just jogs on over into the squad because he threw a toddlers tantrum and didn't take the coaches feed back on how to improve.
Happens to Irish players all the time - look at the national team
Useless by NZ rugby, he'll be a great asset to the English pack which is formidable already with the ex Westlake boys high school blindside flanker.
NZ rugby meanwhile holding onto a faded Cane and a fading Savea. Also pouring vast sums of money into costly wastes of money like the Moana franchise and the over spend on the women's game. Whilst neglecting the NPC which should be the pinnacle of NZ domestic rugby.
It's no coincidence the Allblacks keep losing consistently even with the improvements in the other major sides
Sotutu should have gone in instead of Cane
Yet the All Blacks have still won at a 70% rate since 2020 and reach the last RWC Final and losing by a single point.
All this talk of him playing for England if he can't get into the All Blacks - just because he's eligible doesn't mean they will want him or that he will be picked. The reasons (his attitude, by most counts) he's not getting picked for the ABs will follow him overseas. Maybe club rugby is his threshold. Nothing to be ashamed of if it is.
Yip have always thought his attitude could be adjusted. Im almost certain something happened a couple of years ago
If he comes back from injury and dominates SR again, they may have to pick him for the ABs.
That will drive up his price tag when the contract negotiations come up.
Not sure... Sititi.. and the other backrowers in supr rugby
Sotutu ain't going anywhere. He has two full seasons on his contract and no premiership can afford to buy him out of his contract.
This is Sotutu and his management team trying to use media pressure to gain selection to the All Blacks squad next season.
Seems this way. And keeping his eligibility open. We will never see him in an AB shirt again
If Sotutu is not considered a serious option for the coaches then the NZR would be happpy to release him from his contract as that frees up money for players they want to contract or keep.
Feels like a bit of waste for him to go to Saracens when they've already got a quality 8 in Tom Willis and obviously Ben Earl who can play there. Leicester seems like a more logical fit
Yeah Tigers for sure after losing Wiese