Guest Blogger: Super Stuart Hogg

Rugby has always had a great tradition of partnerships and Glasgow Warriors and Scotland are reaping the benefits of one of these right now.

Scotland has always had a habit of producing World Class fullbacks. Andy Irvine, Gavin Hastings, Kenny Logan, Chris Paterson… I could go on and on. Combine that with the heartlands of Scottish Rugby, the Scottish Borders and you already have a perfect storm.

Since his debut season in 2010, Stuart Hogg has continued to grow and grow as a player and at the moment, in my opinion, he is probably one of the top players in the Northern Hemisphere.

The boy from Hawick was only a wean when he made his debut for the Warriors and that is something you have to remember. He’s only 24 and he could easily have another 10 years in his locker if he avoids injury.

When Hoggy arrived he was a completely different prospect to Chris Paterson, who was already in the Scotland jersey. This lad was unpredictable, he had a wicked step and he had pace that could outstrip even the fastest opponents. He was raw and Scotland fans liked that. Did he have a bit of a temper? Yeah, a wee bit but we like our lads to be feisty!

Stuart will always give you at the very minimum 2 things when he steps onto a rugby pitch. 100% commitment and passion. You watch any try being scored and he’ll be the first one jumping in to celebrate. Warriors or Scotland win a scrum or a penalty, he’ll be there to offer his encouragement and congratulations to the players involved. That fight and commitment will one day lead him to be the captain of his country I’m sure and it’s a quality that he displays. No one is a harsher critic of his performance than himself and you will often see him berate himself when a move doesn’t come off or he misses a tackle. He cares. It’s clear for all to see he cares and that heart and passion is inspirational and it is the kind of thing that can spur on those around him and in games when things aren’t going right it can get the crowd back behind the team.

He’s had the odd daft moment or 2, they red card against the Welsh was a low point in his career, but he has had so many more highs that they far out way moments like that.

Hogg will almost certainly, barring injury, be a Lions tourist when Warren Gatland gets round to selecting his squad for the All Blacks and it would be well deserved based on his form over the last couple of years. He was superb for Scotland in the RWC2015 and in this year’s RBS 6 Nations he deservedly won the player of the tournament. Despite Scotland winning only 2 games he was easily the stand out layer in the squad. Against Wales he was fantastic until he had to limp off but it was his performances against Italy and France that really caught the eye…

The over–the-head flick to Tim Visser for the winning try against France was a stroke of genius and many lauded him in the rugby world for having that kind of ability but if you’ve watched him at Scotstoun then you’ll know that these moments come thick and fast. Just this season against Connacht he was provider to Tommy Seymour for him to score and it’s hard to forget the try he scored against Ulster in the 2014/15 season when he used the chip and chase to fantastic effect. His pace took him to the ball first and set Glasgow on the way to a memorable win and a home semi-final against Ulster.

My biggest worry about Hogg was that he would be tempted away by offers from the Aviva Premiership or the Top 14 as he easily has the ability to not only compete in these leagues but be one of the star players. So it thoroughly cheered up my dull Wednesday to hear that he has signed on until 2019 at Glasgow. With Dave Rennie coming in as Head Coach at the end of the season, Hogg will no doubt go to the next level again under his tutelage.

If Glasgow can secure the backbone of their current squad. Namely Jonny Gray, Henry Pyrgos, Mark Bennett and Tommy Seymour, then I believe that with Hogg entering the peak of his career Glasgow can and will push on and become Pro12 champions again and a force in Europe.  

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