All Blacks: Scott Robertson slammed for snubbing ‘beast’ forward and accused of ‘Crusaders bias’
Scott Robertson has come under fire for his decision not to select Hoskins Sotutu.
Scott Robertson has been slammed by fans following the announcement of his first All Blacks squad, copping criticism for omitting Hoskin Sotutu.
Robertson’s first assignment as the new All Blacks boss will be a two-Test series against England before a one-off clash against Fiji.
His maiden squad includes nine Super Rugby Pacific winners from the Blues, seven players from the Crusaders and Hurricanes, eight from the Chiefs and just one from the Highlanders.
Fans have criticised the ex-Crusaders coach for selecting many of his former players from the Super Rugby strugglers, while the omission of Sotutu has been one of the biggest disappointments.
Sotutu was in excellent form throughout the year and equalled Malcolm Marx and Folau Fainga’a’s record of 12 tries by a forward in a single Super Rugby season.
However, he was overlooked, with Robertson preferring Ardie Savea, Ethan Blackadder and Wallace Sititi as his options in the number eight jumper.
Reaction to the All Blacks squad
Sotutu earned 12 caps under ex-head coach Ian Foster, the last of which coming in the 2022 draw with England at Twickenham Stadium.
Before making his debut for the All Blacks, he qualified to play for Fiji through his father and for England through his mother but opted for New Zealand.
After his latest snub, former Fiji head coach Simon Raiwalui suggested that he should swap the black jersey for a white one.
“Congratulations to Wallace Sititi, but seriously no Hoskins Sotutu….come and play for Fiji!” Raiwalui wrote on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
Sir John Kirwan: ‘What more does Hoskins Sotutu need to do to get an All Blacks call?’
Meanwhile, Stuff.co.nz writer Marc Hinton believes that there has to be something ‘wrong’ that has led to Robertson snubbing the Blues’ star.
“Hoskins Sotutu is a beast all year for the champion @BluesRugbyTeam – a picture of consistency, physical presence and try-scoring menace … and he doesn’t make the ABs. Something is wrong there tho I can see the potential and upside in Wallace Sititi,” he wrote.
The fans echoed their thoughts, too, with one reply to the All Blacks’ announcement reading: “So everyone gonna agree that Sotutu not being here is embarrassing.”
While another added: “Honestly, unbelievable that Sotutu isn’t there. “Disgraceful” is the only word I can think of.
Another fan was left perplexed by the number of Crusaders players in the squad, particularly in the forward pack, after a horrid season for the men from Canterbury.
“Bell over Riccitelli is straight up Crusaders bias,” their post read.
“But no Hoskins Sotutu is (mind-blowing). The Blues pack, which absolutely blew the comp apart, gets 3 selections. While the cellar dweller Crusaders get 6. Unbelievable.”
Another fan agreed, adding: “Sotutu missing out is the worst call. No room for Riccitelli or Ekland? Surely either of them start over 2nd choice Crusaders hooker. Lot of loyalty nods to Crusaders [players] in this squad..not a great start razor.”
Several other replies read along the lines of ‘Sotutu robbed’ while others were pleased to see TJ Perenara back in the squad after a horrid run of injuries that saw him miss nearly two full years of rugby.
Meanwhile, writer Jamie Wall said that he was ‘actually not super surprised’ that Sotutu missed out, explaining that the Blues had a different role that was ‘very specific’ and it obviously did not match what Robertson is wanting to implement.
New All Blacks’ captain
With Sam Whitelock announcing his retirement and Sam Cane sidelined through injury, Robertson had a big call to make as to who would captain the All Blacks in 2024.
He is pick is Scott Barrett, who also captained the Crusaders during Robertson’s time as head coach, while Barrett’s youngest brother Jordie was named as one of the vice captains with Ardie Savea.
However, ex-All Black Lima Sopoaga believed that Savea should have got the captain’s armband.
“How the best player in the world not the captain man,” the fly-half wrote on X.
“Just wanted to see Ardie get his well overdue flowers. He’s been the heart and soul of the ABs the last four years.”
Another account agreed, writing: “Very surprised that Ardie Savea hasn’t been given the captaincy full time. Scott Barrett can be a bit of a liability at times too with his discipline.”
