Hoskins Sotutu is attracting interest from top Gallagher Premiership clubs Saracens and Leicester Tigers after discussions with England coach Steve Borthwick regarding a potential switch from representing the All Blacks to England.
The 2024 Super Rugby Pacific player of the year, who has earned 14 Test caps with his last appearance against England at Twickenham in November 2022, recently declined the opportunity to join the All Blacks for their autumn European tour. This decision followed his exclusion from the national squad earlier this year.
Although Sotutu is under contract with the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) until the end of next year, he could be available to play for England by 2025, according to World Rugby regulations. During his time with the Blues, he scored 27 tries in 67 matches, contributing to their Super Rugby Pacific championship victory this year.
The Saracens are currently seeking to fill the void left by Billy Vunipola’s departure to Montpellier, and the Leicester Tigers are looking to recover after losing Jasper Wiese to Japan’s Urayasu D-Rocks. Sotutu qualifies to represent England through his English mother, while his father Waisake hails from Taviya in Bua. Waisake, a former Blues star, also played for Fiji during the 1999 Rugby World Cup.