Rugby
Cricket
League
Football
Racing
Combat Sports
Basketball
Golf
Motorsport
Other Sports
Why Hoskins Sotutu was overlooked as All Blacks injury replacement
SENZ • October 17th, 2024 3:53 pm
All Blacks coach Scott Robertson has revealed the deciding factor in Hoskins Sotutu being overlooked as an injury replacement for his northern tour squad.
One of the stand-out players of Super Rugby Pacific, Sotutu's omission in all three of Robertson's squads in his maiden year at the helm has resulted in a widespread raising-of-the-eyebrows, particularly among the Blues fanbase.
That confusion resurfaced on Wednesday, when Robertson called in seven players as injury over from the All Blacks XV for the first leg of their tour in Japan and Sotutu's name wasn't among them.
But according to the new head coach it was a knee injury rather than form that prevented him being included in that group of replacements.
With surgery potentially looming, it will also rule him out from the All Blacks XV's whistlestop tour north, which includes matches against Munster in Ireland and Georgia in France.
"We were going to bring Hoskins in but he’s injured, so we've considered that over the last couple of days," Robertson said. "With his knee and scans he won't come.
"We're going to make a call on the next loose forward over the next week or two who will come up.
"Hoskins has been playing on the knee the last four weeks so both medical groups, Counties and the All Blacks, got together and decided to get through this tour is a step too far for him.
"He's looking at options, whether it's rest or surgery."
Super Rugby Pacific's top tryscorer in 2024, Sotutu was one of the driving forces of the Blues run to the title. He hasn't featured for the All Blacks since the northern tour of 2022, when he came off the bench against England.
There have been suggestions Sotutu, who also qualifies for Fiji and England, may opt to switch his international allegiance - a subject Robertson says he's yet to broach with the 26-year-old.
"I haven't had a conversation with him in that regard," he said.
"I know he's contracted to New Zealand until 2026 and if he was fit, he would've come away."
The All Blacks squad left Auckland on Thursday morning, ahead of their clash with the Brave Blossoms in Yokohama on October 26.
