Hoskins Sotutu's small change that may have paved the way for a future with the All Blacks
Hoskins Sotutu could have been another immensely innately talented rugby player who shone like a star then fizzled out as soon as he hit the big leagues.
We’ve seen it plenty of times before: a player with all the skills needed to be a professional falls by the wayside because they’re missing the right attitude.
It wasn’t that Sotutu didn’t have the commitment, hunger or desire however – he was committed to being a professional rugby player.
But that’s not how it looked to his coaches.
“Last year I was basically just training the whole time, I didn’t get much game time,” Sotutu told RugbyPass during New Zealand’s coronavirus lockdown period.
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It’s not hard to see why a 20-year-old might struggle to break into a Super Rugby starting lineup, especially when you consider the riches that the Blues have at their disposal.
Last year, they had Blake Gibson, Dalton Papalii, Tom Robinson and Akira Ioane on their books – men who are all adept at covering multiple loose forward roles.
Sotutu’s lack of experience, while it may have been a factor in his non-selection, wasn’t what held him back, however.
“As a person, I’m quite relaxed. At training, sometimes I might not look engaged,” said Sotutu.
“The coaches just said that if I’m not playing, they’ve gotta pick me off the way I train and if I don’t look engaged and it doesn’t seem like I’m working hard, they won’t pick me.
“This year, I tried to change it.”
Again, it’s not that Sotutu wasn’t willing to put in the hard yards – it’s just that his relaxed demeanour made it difficult for the coaches to tell whether he was putting in 100%.
“I get the same feedback throughout all the teams, that I look like I don’t care,” Sotutu said. “It’s just my face, I guess.”
The exact make-up of New Zealand's new-look loose forward trio won't be known for a while, but it's already pretty clear who'll be part of the mix, writes @TomVinicombe. #SuperRugby @AllBlacks #AllBlacks https://t.co/0eVdag2iDF
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 23, 2020
It’s not the first time that Sotutu has struggled for gametime with a team. When the former Sacred Heart student was picked for the New Zealand Under 20 side in 2018 he was also given limited minutes with new Hurricanes recruit Devon Flanders preferred in the 8 jersey.
“That was another big learning curve,” said Sotutu of his time with the side.
“I didn’t play much and I just felt they didn’t really like me; I don’t really know what it was. That was frustrating.
“I think it was sort of [not looking engaged] but I don’t really know, I felt like I didn’t get the opportunity to play and show them I could play rugby.”
For a young sportsman, there’s little worse than watching your team play while you’re restricted to the sidelines and it had a big impact on Sotutu at the time.
“I thought that I was just there for a holiday because I wasn’t getting any game time,” Sotutu said.
“It was frustrating not playing because I knew that was such a big stage and I saw that as the next step for me.
“That year, I felt like I wasn’t good enough, I felt like my rugby was going backwards – I was wondering if I still had it.”
Sotutu also didn’t receive a great review from the Under 20s coaching set-up after the campaign, which added to the frustration – but he had some allies in his corner too.
“One of our trainers at Auckland just reassured me that the person they were describing in the review wasn’t me,” Sotutu said, “and he saw me basically every day.”
“It was good to hear that because that was the probably the lowest I’ve ever felt in rugby.”
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Hoskins Sotutu didn’t dwell on the 2018 campaign, however – as evidenced by the turnarounds in his performances.
After making just a single appearance for the Blues last year, Sotutu showed some good early form in the Mitre 10 Cup.
A high-ankle strain saw the blockbusting loose forward ruled out of the latter half of the provincial competition but his early season performances and some solid pre-season training with the Blues saw him elevated to the starting lineup for the first game of the Super Rugby season – and he hasn’t looked back since.
The Blues have suffered just two losses this year – at the hands of two the competitions’ early front-runners, the Chiefs and the Crusaders, but have secured tough away victories over the Waratahs, Bulls, Stormers and Hurricanes and thrashed the Lions in Auckland.
Sotutu has played a key role in most of those matches, just sitting out the win over the Hurricanes.
That promotion has meant some bad news for one of Sotutu’s closest mentors, however, with experienced Blues loosie Akira Ioane being kept to minimal game-time this season.
“I’m happy that I’m playing but there’s always someone that’s going to miss out,” said Sotutu,
“It’s Aki at the moment. Later in the season, we might’ve seen me and him starting on the pitch at the same time.
“Aki’s sort of the big brother in the team. He’s happy for me and happy that I’m getting a shot.
“He’s real supportive of all the players, but especially me. He’s always been helping me out through my development with the Blues.”
If Japan had treated the Sunwolves how Argentina treated the Jaguares, we wouldn't be in this predicament, writes @TomVinicombe. #SuperRugby #Sunwolveshttps://t.co/O4TMiaBOjA
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) March 25, 2020
From Sotutu’s point of view, the Blues haven’t significantly changed the way they do things in 2020 – but team confidence is a lot higher.
“Every year we have the same mindset going into Super Rugby,” Sotutu said.
“This year, we’ve been getting the results – and that just gave us that confidence that we could actually do it, especially after the wins against the Stormers and the Hurricanes.”
Unfortunately for the Blues, it’s looking increasingly unlikely that they’ll get any reward for their endeavours to date due to the coronavirus pandemic which has suspended competitions around the world.
“A few of the boys were disappointed,” Sotutua said.
“It’s a weird one. We’ve gone pretty average the last couple of years and then the year we’re going pretty mean, something like this comes up. It’s a bit gutting, but that’s just the way it goes.”
And while the season may have come to a premature end, Hoskins Sotutu won’t be resting on his laurels.
2020 may have been a breakout year for the dynamic Number 8 but there’s still plenty more work for the 21-year-old to do and after signing his first full-time contract with the Blues in 2018, he hopes to keep doing it in the city in which he grew up.
“The Blues are my team, the team I care about – and I feel like I was only going to play the best rugby for a team that I care about,” Sotutu said.
“As long as the Blues are keen to keep me, I’m keen to stay.”
Comments on RugbyPass
The rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
76 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
1 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
9 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
9 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
9 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
9 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
9 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
2 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to comments