New All Black Alex Hodgman says he was 'shocked and blindsided' by his national callup on Sunday. “I think it’s about perseverance,” said the 27-year-old Auckland, Blues and now All Black prop from the provincial training fields on Tuesday. Hodgman was perhaps, alongside lock Quinten Strange, a good old-fashioned bolter in Ian Foster’s 35-man All Blacks squad named last Sunday. Hannah Peters/Getty Images Alex Hodgman says the Blues environment in 2020 has helped him make big improvements in his game. Ieremia will have seven All Blacks – Hodgman, Ofa Tuungafasi, Patrick Tuipulotu, Akira Ioane, Hoskins Sotutu, Rieko Ioane and Caleb Clarke – available for Saturday’s opener against Otago in Dunedin.

Source: Stuff September 08, 2020 05:37 UTC