Analysis: Blues No.8 would be advised to put his disappointment behind him but it won't be easy and other options are looming, writes Patrick McKendry.
Hoskins Sotutu has made public his disappointment at missing selection for the first All Blacks squad of the year.
“Most hated”, he wrote on Instagram last night under a picture of himself celebrating the Blues’ recent Super Rugby grand final triumph with his teammates.
It was presumably in response to his snub – and certainly the comments from some of his 24,000 followers interpreted it as such.
However, the Blues No.8, the competition’s joint top try scorer with 12 along with Crusaders wing Sevu Reece, would be advised to keep his powder dry for the rest of the year and beyond.
All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson has called the selection of the six loose forwards - Ardie Savea, Dalton Papali’i, Luke Jacobson, Ethan Blackadder, Samipeni Finau and the uncapped Wallace Sititi – his “tightest” call of the entire squad.
His next squads for the Rugby Championship and end of year tour will be larger – 36 – so the door is not shut on the 25-year-old, who played the last of his 14 caps in 2022.
Plus, as Robertson said at last night’s squad announcement in Christchurch, the position is an attritional one.
But, while his disappointment is understandable given his form this season, it will be incumbent on Sotutu to put it behind him.
It will be easier said than done because he presumably re-signed with the Blues and New Zealand Rugby in May until the end of 2026 on the assumption he would be in the mix for the All Blacks.
Sotutu’s father, former Blues wing Waisake, was a Fiji vice-captain at the 1999 World Cup and his mother was born in England. The Times of London newspaper has already published a story suggesting Hoskins could represent that nation as early as next year via that link.
While Sotutu’s Super Rugby form couldn’t sway the selectors, the 21-year-old Sititi’s inclusion is a testament to his breakout year. That in itself will be difficult for Sotutu to reconcile.
Robertson last night hinted that he looked at form on both sides of the ball – suggesting defence and work rate was just as important as ball carrying. Chiefs No.8 Sititi has a rugged edge to him, and that applies too to Crusaders loosie Blackadder, who hardly played this year due to injury.
Snubs and heart-warming stories apart (and the inclusion of 25-year-old tighthead prop Pasilio Tosi fits snugly into the latter category), the All Blacks clearly have depth on the wing, where the in-form Reece, Caleb Clarke, Mark Tele’a and Emoni Narawa will be vying for the No.11 and No.14 jerseys for the first Test against England in Dunedin a week on Saturday.
Fullback, though? Not so much. Beauden Barrett, named in the squad as a first-five alongside Damian McKenzie, will presumably start there in the first Test, but his back-ups in the absence of the injured Will Jordan are Stephen Perofeta, another converted first-five.
Jordie Barrett began his Test career at the back of course but is now such an important part of the midfield he has been made vice-captain by Robertson, which suggests he will be the one constant there if fit and available.
There will be questions too about the inclusion of George Bell, the 22-year-old hooker from the Crusaders who was in last year’s World Cup frame as injury cover and is an excellent ball carrier but had his issues throwing into a dysfunctional lineout this season.
And only three locks – skipper Scott Barrett, Patrick Tuipulotu and Tupou Vaa’i – when Barrett and Tuipulotu have had serious recent injury issues.
Barrett has played little rugby recently due to a back problem and the fact the Crusaders missed the playoffs, while Tuipulotu was initially ruled out of the game for up to six weeks due to a knee injury, only to return four weeks early to play a starring role in the Super Rugby final.
Blues 23-year-old Sam Darry – tall at 2.03m – has been named as a back-up and will train with the squad but the All Blacks appear light there.
All Blacks squad
Props: Tyrel Lomax, Ethan de Groot, Ofa Tu’ungafasi, Fletcher Newell, Tamaiti Williams, Pasilio Tosi (uncapped).
Hookers: Codie Taylor, Asafo Aumua, George Bell (uncapped).
Locks: Scott Barrett (c), Tupou Vaa’i, Patrick Tuipulotu.
Loose forwards: Ardie Savea (vc), Dalton Papali’i, Luke Jacobson, Ethan Blackadder, Samipeni Finau, Wallace Sititi (uncapped).
Halfback: TJ Perenara, Cortez Ratima (uncapped), Finlay Christie.
First-fives: Damian McKenzie, Beauden Barrett.
Midfielders: Jordie Barrett (vc), Anton Lienert-Brown, Rieko Ioane, Billy Proctor (uncapped).
Outside backs: Stephen Perofeta, Caleb Clarke, Emoni Narawa, Sevu Reece, Mark Tele’a.
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