WE’RE IN IT TO WIN IT!

Hogg and Co heading to Japan with every intention of going all the way

SCOTLAND star Stuart Hogg believes Gregor Townsend’s men can upset all expectations by lifting the Rugby World Cup.

And the flying full-back says there would be no point in the Scots travelling to Japan if they did not harbour serious ambitions of beating all-comers. Townsend named his 31-man squad at Linlithgow Palace yesterday, confirming — as exclusively revealed by Sportsmail — that Rory Hutchinson and Huw Jones were among those being cut from the group heading to the Far East.

And Hogg, whose 69 caps make him one of the most experienced players in the squad, said the team will not be setting their sights low. ‘We’re going

Jones and Hutchinson to miss out By Rob Robertson

there to win it,’ said the former British and Irish Lions gamebreaker. ‘It’s pointless saying otherwise. ‘We’re not going to stand here and say we’re going to Japan to take it game by game, get to the quarter-finals or whatever. ‘For us, that kind of thinking has been blown completely out of the water.’ The Scots, who finished in fifth place in this year’s Six Nations as Wales completed a Grand Slam, face Ireland, Samoa, hosts Japan and Russia in a group of death, with either reigning champions New Zealand or South Africa lurking ominously should they reach the quarter-finals. Hogg acknowledged the huge challenges faced by Townsend’s team but, refusing to flinch at the prospect, he added: ‘Yes, we’re taking it game by game — but doing that to get in a good position. ‘If we are not going across there to win it, then what’s the point in going to Japan?’ Hogg, who played in all five games in the World Cup four years ago as Scotland were denied a run to the semi-finals by blundering South African referee Craig Joubert, has established himself as one of the game’s superstars in the interim. The 27-year-old, who this summer completed a move from Glasgow Warriors to Exeter Chiefs, said: ‘I’ve got a lot of experience under my belt now, I’m trying to help the younger boys through. ‘I’ve been around a long time, know a little bit, so I’m trying to get the best out of everybody in the squad. ‘I’m absolutely delighted to be going to a World Cup again and I have been working incredibly hard to get where I want to be. ‘Now that the squad is named, the hard work starts again. I’m really looking forward to getting to Japan.’