Former All Blacks captain Mike Brewer has been so impressed by Blues No. 8 Hoskins Sotutu that he likened him to his old team-mate, Zinzan Brooke.
Sotutu who has links to Fiji was named in the All Blacks 35 member squad earlier this month.
Brewer told stuff.co.nz Sotutu is the best No. 8 he has seen since Kieran Read and the talent he has is outrageous.
He says the 22-year-old has got the anticipation of an openside flanker, which reminds him a lot of Zinny (Zinzan Brooke) because he is in the right place at the right time.
The former All Blacks captain says that he would like to see Sotutu starting at No. 8 because he is a ballplayer.
He adds a back-row combination for him will see Sotutu teaming with Ardie Savea and Shannon Frizell which will be like a back-row combination of Zinzan Brooke, Michael Jones and Jerome Kaino.
During Brewer's playing career, he captained the All Blacks on four occasions and was admired for his leadership ability and work ethic in an era before Super Rugby overshadowed the provincial competitions.
The All Blacks will be hosting the Wallabies for two Bledisloe Tests next month.
The Bledisloe Tests will be played in Wellington on October 11 and Auckland the following week, though the Eden Park Test will likely be moved to Dunedin if Auckland remains under Level 2 restrictions.
The remaining Bledisloe Tests will take place in Australia during the Rugby Championship, however, there is some controversy over the last Test which takes place on December 12 in Sydney, a fixture that New Zealand Rugby says they did not sign on because it means the All Blacks will be in managed isolation for Christmas instead of with their families.
[Source: Stuff.co.nz]
