Hogg aiming as high as it gets
Toulouse win can inspire Euro glory
STUART HOGG signed a new deal at Glasgow Warriors because he felt ‘a trophy was just round the corner’. If his team secure a bonuspoint win over Toulouse at Scotstoun tomorrow, he admits he’ll start dreaming about a European one.
The Scotland full-back believes a victory over the four-time European champions in their Pool Four clash can set his team on the path to a historic cup triumph.
‘I would agree this is the most important game in the history of Glasgow Warriors,’ said the 27-timescapped international. ‘We’ve been in this competition before but never been in a position to compete for the trophy. This time we have a chance.
‘We’ve had two wins in our first three games and had a little blip last weekend away to Toulouse (in a 19-11 defeat). Now we have a good opportunity to go out there and put ourselves back into contention.
‘We want to be the first Scottish team to win a trophy and what better trophy to win than the European Champions Cup?
‘Certainly, everybody here at Glasgow firmly believes that — if we keep working hard on and off the field — then a trophy is just round the corner. We all want to win a trophy and now we believe we are in a position to do that.’
Hogg, who turned down offers from Aviva Premiership clubs to sign a new deal that keeps him at Glasgow until 2017, said he hadn’t taken much convincing to stay despite a rocky period at the end of last season when he lost his place and was linked with a move to Ulster.
He was so far out of favour that he wasn’t even picked for the Pro12 final defeat to Leinster — but the 22-year-old restored his reputation by getting back to his best in Scotland’s summer tour matches.
So impressed was head coach Vern Cotter that the New Zealander, in tandem with Warriors head coach Gregor Townsend, implored the SRU to make Hogg a financial offer he couldn’t refuse.
With £20million in the coffers after selling the naming rights of Murrayfield to BT, SRU chief executive Mark Dodson had l i ttle hesitation in demanding cash be made available to keep Glasgow’s most prized asset at the club for three more years.
‘ Obviously t hings were not going my way and I got a bit disappointed at the end of l ast season,’ said Hogg. ‘ But you always learn from your mistakes both on and off the field and move forward.
‘ The way I have started this season is the way I want to continue. I feel I have been playing relatively well and want to be the best rugby player I can be, and believe Glasgow have the right players and coaches to help me on my way to be that.
‘This big game against Toulouse is part of the reason I decided to stay at Glasgow because we want to be the first team, the first Scottish team, to win titles.
‘We have a fantastic squad here that is pushing each other for places, which helps raise standards. The standard in training is massively high and, come the weekend, if you get that jersey it is all about going out there and expressing yourself and putting in a performance that brings pride to Glasgow.’
Hogg admitted he had been left frustrated the Warriors didn’t come away with at least a losing bonus point in last Sunday’s defeat in France, with Duncan Weir missing a late conversion, and accepted it could be crucial at the end of the group stage.
He also f elt his side’s poor discipline was something they could not afford to repeat in the return match with the French at Scotstoun.
‘We were bitterly disappointed as we pride ourselves on being a well-disciplined team,’ he said.
‘To give away 14 penalties and two yellow cards against a side as worldclass as Toulouse is not good and was out of character.
‘On top of that, we pride ourselves on being a really good attacking and defending team and our defence kind of let ourselves down at the weekend. If we improve our discipline, defend better and stick to our game plan, we can go out there and win — and if we do that we are right in the mix to make the knockout stages of the European Champions Cup.’