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Hoskins Sotutu set for first match in two months as Counties start All Blacks trio

Hoskins Sotutu. (Photo by Antonietta Baldassarre/Insidefoto/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Counties Manukau will go into their third-round NPC clash with Waikato with some extra firepower in their forwards courtesy of the return of three seasoned internationals.

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Nepo Laulala, Dalton Papalii and Hoskins Sotutu will all run out for the Steelers on Friday night in what will be their first taste of action in some time.

While Laulala and Papalii were both given opportunities for the All Blacks against Ireland in July, neither player featured on the recent tour to South Africa, with Laulala remaining at home nursing an injury and Papalii a travelling squad member but unused over the two matches.

For Sotutu, this weekend’s match will mark his first appearance on the pitch in two months, since the Super Rugby Pacific final back in mid-June.

While the young loose forward was a massive contributor for the Blues throughout the season, notching up 13 games throughout their campaign, All Blacks coach Ian Foster has opted to exclusively field Ardie Savea in the No 8 jersey to kick-start the year.

That means Sotutut will undoubtedly be itching to make an impact on the field when he dons that same jersey against Waikato at Navigation Homes Stadium in Pukekohe on Friday.

The Steelers currently sit fifth in the Odds conference – one spot away from a quarter-final berth – having earned a one-point last-minute win over Otago in the opening round of the competition before going down by a solitary point themselves in last weekend’s Ranfurly Shield challenge with Hawke’s Bay.

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Defending champions Waikato, meanwhile, occupy fourth in the same group, having drawn with Hawke’s Bay and narrowly tipped up Northland.

While Waikato haven’t been able to call upon either of their current two All Blacks, hooker Samisoni Taukei’aho and midfielder Quinn Tupaea, they have again named Damian McKenzie in the No 10 jersey for this weekend’s local clash.

Counties Manukau: Etene Nanai-Seturo, Jared Page, Nikolai Foliaki, AJ Alatimu, Peniasi Malimali, Riley Hohepa, Cameron Roigard, Hoskins Sotutu, Sean Reidy (c), Dalton Papalii, Samuel Slade, William Furniss, Nepo Laulala, Zuriel Togiatama, Ezekiel Lindenmuth. Reserves: Ioane Moanunu, Mark Royal, Suetena Asomua, Jadin Kingi, Setefano Leavasa, Liam Daniela, Tevita Ofa, Esau Filimoehala.

Waikato: Liam Coombes-Fabling, Daniel Sinkinson, Bailyn Sullivan, D’Angelo Leuila, Mosese Dawai, Damian McKenzie, Rhys Dickinson, Te Rama Reuben, Mitch Jacobson (cc), Samipeni Finau, Laghlan McWhannell, Hamilton Burr, Sosefo Kautai, Pita Anae Ah-Sue, Ayden Johnstone (cc). Reserves: Rhys Marshall, Ollie Norris, Solomone Tukuafu, James Thompson, Liam Messam, Xavier Roe, Taha Kemara, Alapati Leuia.

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fl 53 minutes ago
Ex-Wallaby laughs off claims Bath are amongst the best in the world

“Yes I wrote that, because you had Leinster as the best team in the world. What was that based on - winning the URC this season?”

It was based on Leinster’s performances over the course of this season, and on their trophy. If Bordeaux beat Toulouse then I’ll change my mind and move them to first. But as it is I expect Bordeaux, Toulouse, and Leinster to all finish with one trophy each, and with Leinster having produced the best week-on-week performances of the three.


“One of those teams won the league in each of those years so yes they were worse. If I was a fan of either of those four teams I would rather have been a fan of a team that won a trophy than didn’t.”

That’s true - I would too. With regard to Stormers I think their trophy was very much enabled by the fact that they weren’t playing in europe, so were able to rest their players much more than the non-SA teams were so I’m not sure whether I would or wouldn’t consider them to have had a better season than Leinster in 2022, but clearly Munster and Glasgow (respectively) had better seasons than Leinster in 2023 and 2024. But if I was a fan of one of those 3 teams I would rather be a fan of a team that won 66 URC+CC matches over the course of 3 seasons (Leinster) than a team that won 46 (Munster) or 42 (Glasgow). If you think trophies are literally the only thing that matters, do you think Blackburn Rovers are a more successful Premier League team than Tottenham Hotspur are?


“You contradict yourself alot. Trophies matter in one post and in the same post coming second consistently makes you better.”

Its going to get really frustrating if you’re not willing to read what I write. I said: “Trophies matter. They matter a lot. But so does winning games. So does making finals.” How does that contradict my assessment that Leinster were better than Stormers?


“I doubt Leinster would say they have been the better team in any of the seasons you keep going on about.”

Teams generally downplay talk of them being the best, so that wouldn’t surprise me. But crucially I don’t think Leinster were the best team in 2022, or in 2023, or in 2024, so I’m not sure what you think you’re responding to.


“Lets make it clear though - you are the one who went on and on about previous seasons with your deep dive into la Rochelle and Stormers etc.”

Yeah - I did that because you brought up Leinster’s trophyless record from 2022-2024, so I thought that was worth responding to. If you’d like though I can stop responding to the things you say?

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