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Ian Foster is determined not to inhibit the new No. 8 Hoskins Sotutu, but regardless of how the 22-year-old performs against the Wallabies on Saturday, it’s clear that the model of having two great athletes at No. 8 at No. 6 is very fashion. the thinking of the All Blacks.
Sotutu will begin his first test in the absence of new father Ardie Savea, who will likely be available for Bledisloe IV in Brisbane next week.
Hagen Hopkins / Getty Images
Hoskins Sotutu tries to evade Michael Hooper and Rob Valetini during Bledisloe I in Wellington.
Sotutu proved during Super Rugby Aotearoa that he is a multi-faction number 8 who can run, pass or even kick, but the core of his game is his way of carrying the ball.
He’ll be joining Shannon Frizell in the back row in Sydney, and when asked if the All Blacks had been at their best over the past decade with two great rowers, Foster credited the theory.
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“It would be easy to find situations where that was the case,” Foster said.
“You go back to the Kieran Read / Jerome Kaino type combination and I guess it’s a characteristic of most teams to get the win line.
“But it’s a focus for us, and you can see it’s a focus on the game right now to improve the ball-carrying side of the game. Both guys are good in that space.
“I guess the challenge is that you have to make sure it doubles backwards on defense, and make sure we bring that same quality to the defensive end.
Kai Schwoerer / Getty Images
Shannon Frizell, pictured, and Hoskins Sotutu give the All Blacks a lot of direct power to carry balls in the back row.
“They are both young players in terms of international experience and they also have to show that side of the game.
“But we have some good athletes on our loose forwards.
“There are still a few more who haven’t played, Akira [Ioane] and Cullen [Grace], who we’re very excited about, so I think the next moment is about providing opportunities for people and making sure that we keep the formula pretty simple for them, so that when they get a chance to take and beat the profit line, they’re doing it in a very simple way. “
That is not an implicit criticism of Savea, who is still a player of the highest quality and an automatic pick at the full-back today.
Phil Walter / Getty Images
Ian Foster says that Hoskins Sotutu “is probably a little more direct” than Ardie Savea.
But Foster acknowledged that Sotutu was “probably a little more direct” and the coach was visibly excited by what the No. 8 had to offer.
“They are very different people,” he said. “They will probably get the same result, but they do it in different ways.
“Ardie will often push his way through the win line and Hoskins will probably be a little more direct.
“He has a great skill set and we just want to train him to go out and play like he does.
“He has a pass, he has a kick and he has a running game, and he loves to get involved in defense.”
Sotutu’s impressive year for the Blues wasn’t limited to his power on the ball or his ability to steal turnovers at ruck time.
Phil Walter / Getty Images
New father Ardie Savea will miss the test in Sydney on Saturday.
Against the Waratahs on a wet night in Newcastle, he displayed a deft kicking game to set up a try, while his keen left-to-right passing skills were on display as the Blues beat the Chiefs in Hamilton.
Foster said the All Blacks had no intention of controlling the young man’s ambition. Instead, they wanted him to come out and speak out against the Wallabies.
“With Hoskins, I’m not sure I have to license him,” Foster said.
“The problem is that when you have a lot of tricks you want to use them.
“The key is not to try to inhibit it. At times he has shown from the back of the scrum that the kick is an option and invariably when he does it is quite good.
“Is it something that tactically we’ve talked a lot about that? Now we haven’t.
“But part of the beauty when you bring in young players is that you don’t want to tell them a lot of things that they can’t do.
“We have seen that with Caleb [Clarke] … excite them, enjoy the environment, learn and let them go and do the things they need to do
“I think Hoskins has already shown that when he came off the bench, and we just want to encourage that.”
