Blues captain Patrick Tuipulotu has expressed his disappointment that teammate Hoskins Sotutu has not joined him at All Blacks camp, after missing out on selection for upcoming tests against England and Fiji.
The pair were key contributors to their team's Super Rugby Pacific triumph, which climaxed with victory over the Chiefs in a soldout final at Eden Park on Saturday, but only one heard their name called, when new coach Scott Robertson revealed the first squad of his tenure.
Sotutu, 25, has played 14 tests for New Zealand and produced career-best form to co-lead the competition with 12 tries this season, level with All Blacks winger Sevu Reece. He ranked second behind Reece in offloads and was also the Blues' leading lineout option.
Instead, Robertson has opted for rookie Wallace Sititi, after his eye-catching performance in the Chiefs' semi-final win over the tabletopping Hurricanes.
Tuipulotu isn't mincing words, verbalising his shock at Sotutu's omission, which came amid victory celebrations, already tempered by a death in the family.
"I haven't reached out to him personally yet," he admitted. "He's had a pretty tough week or couple of days.
"Firstly, I want to send my condolences out to him and 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.
"I was surprised. I think he's been pretty consistent and an out-and-out performer for us all season, so I'm pretty disappointed not to see his name up there."
Tuipulotu, 31, has had to overcome his own challenges to return to the national team, suffering a knee injury was expected to keep him out of the Super Rugby final and the upcoming All Blacks fixtures, but somehow making it back on the field about a month earlier than expected.
He insists the knee is fine... and so is the hangover.
"I didn't make it to [Mad] Monday," he said. "I made it to Sunday night and that was me - I'm too old and can't do any more.
"Pretty happy with how [the knee] has pulled through. Haven't made it any worse, so that's a good sign.
"I like to think I'm pretty much ready to go, but test level rugby is a different beast. We'll take it day by day, and see what the medical team and coaches have to do."
With the departure of veterans Sam Whitelock and Brodie Retallick - test rugby's most-capped locking tandem - Tuipulotu's 43 appearances in black become a valuable commodity, as Robertson seeks a partner for captain Scott Barrett in the second row.
