Hogg loss is deeply felt Down Under

STuART HoGG’S withdrawal from the British and Irish Lions tour has cast a giant shadow over the Scotland squad in Australia. The upbeat mood so apparent as the players trained on a sun-kissed morning evaporated when the news came through around lunchtime.

Hogg’s popularity within the Scotland squad meant that his performance for the Lions was being monitored carefully — all the more so after the injury he picked up at the weekend.

The confirmation that he would have no further involvement cast a cloud over the Scotland players as they prepared for Saturday’s Test with Australia.

‘Everybody in the squad is gutted for Hoggy,’ said Duncan Taylor, the man who has taken over as Scotland full-back in Hogg’s absence. ‘He is a great player and a big loss to the Lions. There are not many players like him in the world.

‘Every time you see him play you realise how good a player he is. His footwork, his speed, his ability to see a gap and take it and run in tries are second to none. There aren’t that many players out there as deadly as him, especially on the counter-attack.

‘He is a very special player and his kicking game is spot on as well. He adds the value of being able to kick a goal from 60 metres. He is a pretty special player, a pretty special talent.

‘When he is with us in the Scotland squad he is a bit of a joker. He is always cracking gags and always has a smile on his face.

‘He is a very popular guy and all we can do is wish him a speedy recovery.’

Such is the importance of Hogg to Scotland that, in his absence, there are no ready-made replacements in the touring squad anywhere near his standard.

The next two candidates to move to No 15 are unavailable, with wingers Tommy Seymour away with the Lions and Sean Maitland injured. Ruaridh Jackson and Greig Tonks can both play full-back but are more comfortable wearing the No 10 jersey.

Taylor may be more at home in the centre or on the wing but Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend had faith in playing him out of position.

‘I didn’t speak to Hoggy for advice at playing full-back at international level because there was no time and I felt it was best to leave him alone so he could concentrate on the Lions, but he is superb in that position and you can learn from watching him play,’ said Taylor.

‘I am happy to play at full-back when he is not around as, to be honest, I would play anywhere Gregor wants me to for Scotland.

‘I haven’t played full-back much in my career although I played there twice this season for Saracens, but I don’t think I played there the season before. Every now and then I seem to slot in there for my club off the bench when we’re struggling.

‘I felt I did okay when Gregor picked me at full-back against Italy in Singapore last weekend although it was a tough game in the heat and humidity and I had to run around a lot.

‘I was caught out of position a couple of times but on the whole I was pretty happy with how it went.

‘I expect Australia to run quite a bit and attack a lot, so my defence has to be on the money. Their first-phase moves are very good and they have very talented individuals.

‘They scored off a couple of crossfield kicks against Fiji last weekend and they have players like Israel Folau, who is really good in the air, so I know I am facing a tough challenge.’