All Blacks star ‘disappointed’ by Scott Robertson’s selection call after Hoskins Sotutu ‘surprisingly’ omitted

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All Blacks lock Patrick Tuipulotu has revealed his ‘disappointment’ after seeing Blues team-mate Hoskins Sotutu miss out on the July series.

Scott Robertson’s first New Zealand squad was named on Monday as 32 players were selected ahead of the games with England and Fiji.

Sotutu was the most surprising omission after a superb year for the Auckland-based outfit in Super Rugby Pacific.

Try-scoring machine

The 25-year-old equalled the record for tries scored by a forward in a season, but it was not enough to convince Robertson that he can make an impact in Test rugby at the moment.

Tuipulotu disagrees, however, and thought the number eight’s performances for the Blues could have been rewarded with an All Blacks call-up.

“I was surprised,” he told reporters. “He’s been pretty consistent, an out-and-out performer for us through the whole season. I was pretty disappointed to see him not there.

“He’s had a pretty tough week or couple of days. I want to send my condolences to him and his family.

“There’s been a death in his family, that’s something pretty harsh to add to what he’s going through at the moment.

“I know he’s strong and he’ll bounce back. But at this stage, I just want to let him get through it.”

All Blacks: The telling stats that provide clarity to Hoskins Sotutu’s snub

Instead of Sotutu, it was Chiefs youngster Wallace Sititi who got the nod as Ardie Savea’s competitor to the number eight slot.

The 21-year-old has impressed this season and particularly stood out in the semi-final victory over the Hurricanes earlier this month.

That set up a match with the Blues in the final, but it was Sotutu, Tuipulotu et al who dominated the showpiece event as the Aucklanders secured a 41-10 triumph.

Incredible return from injury

The second-row was arguably the main story heading into that game having produced a miraculous recovery from a knee injury to feature in the final.

Tuipulotu was expected to miss the rest of the Super Rugby Pacific campaign and the England series, but he turned a predicted seven-week absence into just one as he only missed the semi-final with the Brumbies.

“I’m pretty happy with how it’s pulled through,” he said. “I haven’t gone and made it any worse. It’s a good sign.

“The next couple of days, a lot of it will just be learning, so it will be pretty light, especially for me.

“Hopefully I’ll try and build into more contact next week. I’ll probably get a clearer plan from the medical team and coaches next as we head into the next couple of days.

“I like to think I’m pretty much ready to go, but test-level rugby is a different beast. So we’ll just take it day by day and see what the medical team and coaches have to do.”