Hoskins Sotutu is attracting attention 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.
The 2024 Super Rugby Pacific player of the year last played for New Zealand, earning 14 Test caps, against England in November 2022. He recently declined an opportunity for an All Blacks recall for their upcoming autumn tour in Europe, following his exclusion from the team earlier this year.
Sotutu, who played a key role in helping the Blues secure the Super Rugby Pacific title this year, would not be eligible to play for England until 2025, according to World Rugby regulations. However, he remains under contract with the New Zealand Rugby Union until the end of 2024.
Despite the timeline, both Saracens and Leicester Tigers have shown interest in acquiring him from the Blues, where he has scored 27 tries in 67 appearances. Saracens are yet to fill the gap left by Billy Vunipola’s departure to Montpellier, and the Tigers have lost Jasper Wiese to the Japanese team Urayasu D-Rocks.
Sotutu qualifies to play for England through his English mother, while his father, Waisake, hails from Taviya in Bua. Waisake is a former Blues player who also represented Fiji in the 1999 Rugby World Cup.