Hoskins Sotutu firming for AUNZ team to face the Lions in Adelaide

Hoskins Sotutu is firming as being among the New Zealand contingent in the AUNZ Invitational team that will face the British & Irish Lions in just over a fortnight – and it may be the last time he dons a shade of black at international level.

ESPN understands Sotutu will line up in the AUNZ squad to be coached by Wallabies coach-elect Les Kiss, pending final insurance clearance, which has proven the chief stumbling block for potential inclusions thus far.

But already in South Africa for the Barbarians’ clash with the Springboks, it is expected that Sotutu’s appearance in Adelaide will soon be rubber-stamped, potentially by the end of this week, and he could be joined by several of his fellow countryman in Mark Tele’a, Jacob Ratumaitavuki-Kneepkens and even former All Blacks skipper Sam Cane, all of whom are currently in South Africa.

While Sotutu does not boast the star power of Richie Mo’unga, who for a long time was Rugby Australia’s No. 1 recruit for the AUNZ game until he broke his hand in the closing weeks of the Japanese League 1 season, the Blues No. 8’s performance will likely be closely scrutinised after he was again overlooked for the All Blacks.

New Zealand coach Scott Robertson on Monday instead named an back-row group that includes No. 8 options Ardie Savea, Luke Jacobson and Wallace Sititi, with uncapped Crusaders loose forward Christian Lio-Willie also training with the group as injury cover.

Sotutu was first snubbed by Robertson last year, despite a stunning Super Rugby Pacific season with the Blues that ended the Auckland-based franchise’s title drought. He was then overlooked again for the northern tour, raising speculation he may soon seek a change of allegiance to either Fiji or England, for whom he is both eligible.

Fiji coach Mick Byrne, whose side faces the Wallabies in Newcastle on Sunday week, revealed he had spoken with Sotutu, whose eligibility link to the All Blacks expires in December, and that the back-rower had expressed an interest in an international switch.

“I’ve spoken with George Bower, we’ve spoken with Hoskins Sotutu, they become available at the end of the year… Hoskins hasn’t been picked for the All Blacks for three years, and there another couple of players that would be keen to play for Fiji, but they’re tied up in New Zealand contracts.

“Maybe both of them are still there or thereabouts in the All Black reckoning, I don’t know, I don’t know what they’re thinking. But they’re the players we’d be thinking about the opportunity [to play for Fiji].

“There are three or four players there that we’d like to be able to consider for selection, and we’re not saying we’re guaranteeing we’ll select them, but they’re players who are definitely going to be in the conversation around selection.”

One of the issues with a potential switch for Sotutu, as Byrne points out, is the fact that he is contracted to New Zealand Rugby, via the Blues, for the 2026 season. But once that deal expires, Sotutu could potentially be ready to play for either Fiji or England for the start of the Nations Championship in the middle of 2026.

Sotutu last year confirmed his management had been exploring all available opportunities on his behalf, with European clubs, those in England in particular given his English mother, likely to come calling for his services.

For now, though, the Blues No. 8 will turn out for the Barbarians in Cape Town in a side that will be coached by former Wallabies boss Robbie Deans.

He would then be a welcome addition to the AUNZ should his insurance details be signed off, with time fast running out for Rugby Australia to reveal which players would feature in the historic match at Adelaide Oval. His Blues teammate Tele’a would add another element of interest, given his attacking threat on the wing.

Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt is in the process of finalising his team for the one-off Test against Fiji, with some of the players from his wider 36-man squad who are not required for that game set to then be released to join Kiss’ group in Adelaide.

It is a delicate balancing act for Schmidt, who on Tuesday rejected comments from British & Irish Lions chief executive Ben Calveley that there was an agreement in place that Test players had to be released for the tourists warm-up games against Australia’s Super franchises. Meanwhile, RA will on Thursday unveil the first group of players who will feature in the combined First Nations-Pasifika team that will face the Lions in Melbourne between the first and second Tests.

Source: espn.com