Hoskins Sotutu is burning as one of New Zealand’s conditions for the Aunz Invitational team, who will face the British and Ireland Lions in more than two weeks.
ESPN understands that Sotutu will line up with the Aunz team and Wallabies Coach-Elect Les Kiss will coach.
Already in South Africa, Sototou’s appearance in Adelaide in South Africa due to a clash with Springbok is expected to become a potential rubber stamp by the end of this week, with Marc Terea, King Jacobratumaitavuki Neepken and still Skeper Sam of the Blacks in the South.
Sotutu doesn’t boast Richie Mo’unga’s star power, but for a long time, Rugby Australia’s first recruit, until he broke his hand in the week of the end of the Japan League one season, the Blues 8 performance will be closely scrutinized after he was overlooked again for the Blacks.
Instead, New Zealand coach Scott Robertson was appointed to a backrow group that included No. 8 options, Ardie Savea, Luke Jacobson and Wallace Sititi.
Sotutu was first snubbed last year by Robertson despite a spectacular Super Rugby Pacific season with the blues that ended the drought of the title of the Auckland-based franchise. He may then be overlooked again for the Northern Tour, speculate and immediately seek a change of loyalty to either Fiji or the UK.
Fiji’s manager Mick Byrne, who faces the Wallabies in Newcastle on Sunday week, revealed that he spoke with Sotutu in December, where his qualifying link with the All Blacks will expire, and that the backlower has expressed interest in an international switch.
“I spoke with George Bauer, we spoke with Hoskins Sotutu, they were available at the end of the year… Hoskins hasn’t been selected for the All Blacks for three years, and they are another couple players who are keen to play for Fiji, but they are tied down on a New Zealand contract,” Byrne said in an interview with Fiji.
“Maybe they’re both still there or they’re there in the all-black calculations, I don’t know what they’re thinking.
“We have three or four players that we want to consider for our choice. We’re not saying we’re guaranteed to choose them, but they’re definitely going to be part of the conversation about choice.”
As Byrne points out, one of the potential switch issues for Sotutu is the fact that they have been signed through New Zealand Rugby and Blues over the 2026 season. However, once that deal expires, Sotutu may be ready to play in either Fiji or the UK for the start of the Nations Championship in mid-2026.
Last year, Sotutu confirmed that his management team was exploring all the opportunities available on his behalf.
For now, however, Blues No. 8 will be for the wild bars of Cape Town, the coached side of former Wallaby boss Robby Deans.
He will then be welcomed by Aunz if insurance details are signed off and reveal which players will feature in the historic match at the Adelaide Oval. His blues teammate Terea will add another element of interest given his offensive threat to the wings.
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt is in the process of completing his team for a one-off test against Fiji. Some of his wider 36-man team players are his wider 36-man teams that don’t have to be released to join Adelaide’s Kiss’ Group.
Schmidt’s delicate, balanced act, refusing to comment from Ben Calberry, CEO of the Lions in the UK and Ireland on Tuesday, was an agreement that there had been an agreement that test players had to be released for tourist warm-up games against the Australian super franchise. Meanwhile, the RA will announce the first group of players on Thursday, combining the first country Pacifica team to play against the Melbourne Lions between the first and second Tests.