Battle of potential All Black No.8s: Hoskins Sotutu vs Brayden Iose
The Blues and Hurricanes will met in Auckland for the second time this season which will pit All Black hopefuls Hoskins Sotutu and dark horse selection Brayden Iose against each other.
Sotutu is already an All Black, debuting in 2020 after a stellar Super Rugby season with Blues not too dissimilar from Iose’s campaign this year.
The Blues No.8 last played a Test in 2022 before the All Blacks narrowed down their World Cup squad and leaned on World Player of the Year Ardie Savea to play 80 minutes.
Sotutu’s destructive form in 2024 is certainly worthy of a recall, he leads the competition in tries with nine and has assisted on a further five as the Blues have opted a forward-heavy carry game.
Sotutu is averaging a whopping 7.85 metres a carry, while Iose’s is also high at 7.21m a carry.
Where Iose beats Sotutu is the pure damage he inflicts on the opposition defence. He has smashed through 33 defenders compared to Sotutu’s 19. It’s the most by any forward in the competition. The Hurricanes as a team rank number one in the competition in the category.
Hurricanes No.8 Brayden Iose. He’s 6’2, 110kg, runs 100m in 11 seconds and will be running down Marcus Smith’s channel in July. A ball-carrying powerhouse with speed, skill, and power.pic.twitter.com/kmzCbb0p0b
— Ben Smith (@bensmithrugby) May 7, 2024
The Hurricanes have a distinct plan to use Iose’s ball carrying strength where possible, and target mismatches to generate those figures.
The exit plan from a kickoff restart is to find Iose and lay the platform. From a goal line drop out receipt, Iose will wind up like an Origin forward and batter the line. His speed allows him to chew through the vacant metres as fast as possible.
Off the back of the most dominant scrum in the competition, Iose will carry often inside the opposition 22 and line up the 10 channel. His speed off the mark combined with the power is invaluable off the mark.
He’s only scored twice but many more tries have come off the gain line he generates.
TJ Perenara has sneaked a couple close to the line after a Iose carry, and against the Reds in Super round, Ruben Love was given quick ball against a sliding defence to use his step to score.
From set-piece launches around the midfield he isn’t often the primary carrier. On short lineout packages they like to attach him outside the centre as a tip option for a power-punch in the midfield. If he doesn’t get the ball he’s on cleaning duties.
Based only on 2024 form, Iose is the most destructive ball-carrying No.8 in the competition this year with Harry Wilson of the Queensland Reds a close rival.
So could he fit into the All Blacks plans somewhere?
The limitations with Iose are that he is super strong in one core area, carrying, while being good but not dominant elsewhere.
Strength over the ball at the breakdown isn’t a part of his game yet, nor does it seem to be part of his role with the Hurricanes, who already have the likes of Peter Lakai and Du’Plessis Kirifi competing at rucks.
His defence is solid, completing 90 of 96 tackles so far at a 93 per cent completion. His style is more passive, absorbing contact upright often in two-man efforts and looking for collapsed maul turnovers or strips.
He is a very skilled big man however, showing brilliant handling and offloading skills in contact.
Where Sotutu has the edge is offering a diverse range of production. He’s an integral part of the Blues lineout, with the second most lineout takes in the side. Having a reliable jumping option at No.8 just adds more optionality to the scheme.
He’s second in the competition in offloads while he’s also come up with nine turnovers, good for sixth best in the competition.
We know that Ardie Savea is going to come straight back into the All Blacks squad, but we don’t know where he will play.
If he moves back to openside to accomodate one of the form No.8s in the competition, then Sotutu and Iose both could be in the mix for game time.
Sotutu is more likely to take the starting role but Iose absolutely could be used as a bench weapon, provided the coaches want to use his strength.
Iose as an impact player could generate gain line in the last 20 minutes of a Test coming on fresh. That ability is not to be discounted.
If you aren’t winning gain line, you aren’t going to be doing much else with the ball. If you need momentum and a late surge, Iose can provide that.
Which is why is a dark horse for All Black selection and can’t be ruled out.
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Comments on RugbyPass
A distinct discomfort with the officiating they were probably selected from the local IRA narcos branch along with the commentators bloody fly tippers.
1 Go to commentsWow, never thought I would read that
1 Go to commentsExcellent match. Great to see Keenan and Ryan back for Leinster. Super result for Ulster. Season is turning around.
1 Go to comments“We need eight or nine new players, who are hard-wearing and durable and experienced Premiership performers”. So why are they scouting a retired fullback who himself admits that his “body is broken”?
1 Go to commentsBrumbies hand, knocked a Crusaders hand. Therefore, knock on in goal. Crusaders, goal line drop out should’ve been awarded. most likely after that 24 each at full time, so extra time would’ve been the right an entertaining outcome. Act Jim
1 Go to commentsSpeell cehck
1 Go to commentsColeman is gaawwwwnnn.
1 Go to commentsnext SA head coach?
3 Go to commentsGreat try by van Poortvliet.
1 Go to commentsThey have been cruelled by injuries but almost nobody (Sevu Reece and Fletcher Newell big exceptions) has played above himself which regularly happened before. Surely Scott Robertson had maintained the recruitment programme and it looks like a reasonable squad. Last in this competition will stall a lot of careers. Penny seems likeable. But it’s not enough even though this was better. We haven’t been good enough and it’s not helped by the “it’s been 15 years since… “etc “after nearly every match. Seems somehow a soft gifting of something once valuable. Kieran Read giving comments last week almost choked describing the easy surrender of possession by the forwards. I’d love to think that the senior players some of whom are back can show enough pride in the jersey to test the Blues next week.
3 Go to commentsWho will Joe select for the back three with so many in form candidates? Just hope he doesn’t get shafted like Dave Rennie and to a lesser extent Deans.
6 Go to commentsAlways reluctant to blame a coach when losses rack up, but Penney must go. The backline is dysfunctional and the coach must carry the can. No cohesion, no idea and in many cases, minimal skill. The trains out of Roma St depart faster than the ball from Crusaders’ set pieces. Wouldn’t be surprised if the forwards went on strike.
3 Go to commentsAdding to earlier comment. Cullen Grace has been playing great at no6. Lio-Willie , who was on fire a few weeks ago, had a bad game. I think Cullen should have been moved to 8 earlier, Dominic Gardiner on earlier. Feel for Quinten Strange , put in a big shift .
6 Go to commentsWe dominated the scrums Ben Curry was all over pitch again .Surely James Harper got to be one of best English tightheads
1 Go to commentsRoos is a better option at 6 than 8 for the boks. Needs to work on his windgat though.
1 Go to commentsThe Sharks’ 2nd team maybe?
1 Go to comments‘radical’
1 Go to commentsCome back to Christchurch Robbie, please!
1 Go to commentsI think there is zero chance Sam Cane will be selected for another Test. There is simply no point except sentimentality. Razor is not sentimental- ask Wyatt Crocket. Razor is a ruthless selector
5 Go to comments> It would be best described as an elegant solution to what was potentially going to be a significant problem for new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson. It is a problem the mad population of New Zealand will have to cope with more and more as All Blacks are able to continue their careers in NZ post RWCs. It will not be a problem for coaches, who are always going to start a campaign with the captain for the next WC in mind. > Cane, despite his warrior spirit, his undoubted commitment to every team he played for and unforgettable heroics against Ireland in last year’s World Cup quarter-final, was never unanimously admired or respected within New Zealand while he was in the role. Neither was McCaw, he was considered far too passive a captain and then out of form until his last world cup where everyone opinions changed, just like they would have if Cane had won the WC. > It was never easy to see where Cane, or even if, he would fit into Robertson’s squad given the new coach will want to be building a new-look team with 2027 in mind. > Cane will win his selections on merit and come the end of the year, he’ll sign off, he hopes, with 100 caps and maybe even, at last, universal public appreciation for what was a special career. No, he won’t. Those returning from Japan have already earned the right to retain their jersey, it’s in their contract. Cane would have been playing against England if he was ready, and found it very hard to keep his place. Perform, and they keep it however. Very easy to see where Cane could have fit, very hard to see how he could have accomplished it choosing this year as his sabbatical instead of 2025, and that’s how it played out (though I assume we now know what when NZR said they were allowing him to move his sabbatical forward and return to NZ next year, they had actually agreed to simply select him for the All Blacks from overseas, without any chance he was going to play in NZ again). With a mammoth season of 15 All Black games they might as well get some value out of his years contract, though even with him being of equal character to Richie, I don’t think they should guarantee him his 100 caps. That’s not what the All Blacks should be about. He absolutely has to play winning football.
5 Go to comments