Shaun Goosen has picked out Blues’ number eight, Hoskins Sotutu as his standout performer following round one of Super Rugby Aotearoa.
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Despite Beauden Barrett making his debut for the Blues and Otere Black enjoying a standout afternoon in the No 10 shirt, it is teammate Hoskins Sotutu who shone brightest in the opening round of Super Rugby Aotearoa on the weekend.
After making just a solitary appearance for the Blues last season, the former New Zealand U20 star has been in impressive form all year and his performance on Sunday against the Hurricanes underlined his immense talent.
Alongside Anton Lienert-Brown, the tireless 21-year-old made the joint-most carries in the round (15) which added up to a whopping 51 metres. He also made 12 successful tackles and two offloads which went a long way to helping the Aucklanders pull off a very impressive 30-20 win over the Canes.
With the Kieran Read-era now a thing of the past, new All Blacks boss Ian Foster will be eager to build a new-look team over the next World Cup cycle. The likes of AB skipper Sam Cane and incumbent NZ Player of the Year Ardie Savea will all be in line to appear again for the national side and could soon be joined by No 8 Sotutu.
The 1.92m 106kg son of former Fijian international Waisake is a multi-dimensional footballer with a step that even Cheslin Kolbe would be proud of. If he can continue to improve this year, there’s no question he’ll make a seamless transition to the sport’s biggest stage.
