Rising No. 8 Hoskins Sotutu re-signs with Blues through 2022

Rising No. 8 Hoskins Sotutu has committed his immediate future to the Blues and New Zealand rugby, removing almost any chance Eddie Jones could make an audacious bid to bring the 21-year-old into the England setup.

Sotutu on Monday inked a new two-year deal with the unbeaten Super Rugby Aotearoa outfit, a deal that could result in an All Blacks jersey as early as October.

"I have signed for two more years with the Blues which is great," said Sotutu. "My goals are for the Blues to kick-on in this competition how we left off before Covid-19, keep the team strong and help them continue to improve.

"It is all about the team for me. I don't like to look too far ahead. I like to focus on the team I am playing for."

While Sotutu might not be thinking too far ahead, the new All Blacks coaching team headed up by Ian Foster will have the No. 8 firmly in its plans.

Sotutu was in outstanding form before Super Rugby was suspended in March, and has continued that high level of play across Super Rugby Aotearoa, setting up a mouth-watering clash with the in-form Crusaders back-row on Saturday.

Sotutu has to date played all his rugby in New Zealand and represented both the New Zealand Secondary Schools and Under 20s teams, but he remains eligible for both England and Fiji as well given connections to each nation through his mother and father respectively.

But he has tied himself to New Zealand through to the end of 2022 and with Foster searching for a new No. 8 following the Test retirement of Kieran Read, Sotutu is a chance to for a Test debut, likely against the Wallabies, later this year.

"He has a unique skillset which is well-rounded. He has set-up tries with his kicking and with accurate missed passes yet he can do the core roles of carrying hard, offloading, making his tackles and an asset in the lineout," Blues coach Leon MacDonald said.