Hoskins Sotutu is on the radar of Gallagher Premiership giants Saracens and Leicester Tigers after speaking to England coach Steve Borthwick about switching his international allegiance from the All Blacks.

The 2024 Super Rugby Pacific player of the year, who won the last of his 14 Test caps against England at Twickenham in November 2022, recently turned down the chance of an All Blacks recall for their autumn tour of Europe.

This was after he was dropped from the All Backs early this year.

Sotutu, who helped the Blues win the Super Rugby Pacific title this year, would be eligible for England in 2025 under World Rugby regulations, but he is under contract to the NZRU until the end of the following year.

Even though he isn’t available for an immediate move, the Premiership big guns have expressed an interest in signing him from the Blues, where he has scored 27 tries in 67 appearances. Saracens haven’t signed anybody to fill the Billy Vunipola-shaped hole left by his departure to the Top 14 outfit Montpellier in the summer, while the Tigers lost Jasper Wiese to Japanese side Urayasu D-Rocks.

Sotutu is eligible to represent England because of his English mother while his dad Waisake is from Taviya in Bua.

Waisake, a former Blues star utility back also represented Fiji at the 1999 Rugby World Cup.

– Rugby Pass

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