RUGBY WORLD CUP 2019 – BIG IN JAPAN? Some say ‘all good things come to those who wait’ but with All Black selection never certain, one could forgive Hoskins Sotutu for taking the opportunity to shine in the Land of the Rising Sun under other colours. And yet, he says, if called to represent Fiji in Japan at this year’s Rugby World Cup in Japan, he’s unlikely to accept. “I probably wouldn’t; not this year at least. I’d prefer to play for the All Blacks because I grew up here pretty much all my life,” the (near) six-foot-three Blues’ loose forward says. “But playing for Fiji like my dad did would be cool, [so] if I never get a shot as an All Black, I would definitely consider it.” I ask how confident the All Blacks among his teammates (at Auckland or the Blues) are about the prospect of securing an unprecedented three-peat at the World Cup. “I don’t really talk to them about it and they’ll all be focused on the Super Rugby season first anyway. But, as long as they keep doing what they’re doing, they’ll be at their best at the World Cup. That’s just my view from the sidelines, though.”
FearleSS – the liFe oF adventurer, eQueStrian and endurance rider Rugby may be a tough game to master but you would have to be mad to ride the Mongol Derby, a 1000km endurance race across wild steppes and desert. However, Kiwi equestrian, Chloe Phillips-Harris, takes such challenges in her (or, rather, her horse’s) stride. From growing up on a remote, run-down farm to competing on horseback, training wild Kaimanawa stallions and setting up organisations to aid working animals worldwide, this remarkable sportswoman has lead a remarkable life, as her book reveals.
Hoskins Sotutu -Hurricanes vs Blues Super Rugby pre-season 2019, Photo Marty Melville, Photosport www.eastlife.co.nz
Chloe Phillips-Harris: Fearless – The life of adventurer, equestrian and endurance rider | RRP $39.99 | HarperCollins NZ eastlife | april 2019 |
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