HOW DO I FEEL ABOUT HOGGY TAKING MY RECORD? I COULDN’T BE HAPPIER
TONY STANGER may be one of Scotland’s 1990 Grand Slam legends but he’s not the type to dwell on past glories.
This modest hero even had to be reminded by daughter Rosie that he scored his 24th international try in his 52nd and final appearance for his country in the 34-20 loss to England at Murrayfield in the 1998 Five Nations.
What a significant moment in his career that turned out to be, however, as it made him Scotland’s joint-top try scorer with Ian Smith, who set the benchmark way back in the 1930s. It was a proud record that stood for almost 90 years until Stuart Hogg overtook both men with his 25th try in the 29-20 victory over Japan at the weekend.
So, how did Stanger (below) feel to finally be usurped in the history books having spent the previous 23 years with his name up in lights alongside Smith’s?
In truth, the man who will always be remembered for scoring the winning try in the 1990 Grand Slam decider against the Auld Enemy, is absolutely delighted that a fellow player from Hawick has taken his record — and predicts that Scotland skipper Hogg will score many more.
‘My daughter had to remind me my 24th try was against England as I hadn’t thought about it for years — and she was interested when Hoggy got two tries against Australia to go joint level,’ admitted the 53-year-old former Hawick and Leeds Tykes winger.
‘To be honest, I didn’t see Stuart’s try live against Japan at the weekend as I was watching my boys play football but I could not be more pleased for him.
‘I have never been one for looking back too much, so, looking forward, I would love to see Stuart really go and get lots more tries for Scotland.
‘He is really capable of doing that as he is what? Twentynine and with 88 caps? He’s been on three Lions tours and has won numerous Player of the Tournament awards in the Six Nations. He’s the real deal and I couldn’t be more pleased that he is the player who’s taken my joint record.’ Stanger, who knows Hogg’s father John, is pleased for the Exeter Chiefs full-back’s whole family — and says his achievements and his place in the record books reflect well on the town of Hawick.
‘Stuart has shown himself to be world class by his performances over so many years,’ said Stanger, who made his Scotland debut against Fiji in 1989. ‘It’s that consistency he’s shown at the top level for so long which is one of the reasons he will go down as an all-time great.
‘You can see how excited the crowd get when he gets the ball. He’s one of those players who is really special and loves to attack. He’s really taken to the job as Scotland captain well and he’s at the top of his game.
‘He comes from a fantastic family and I played rugby against his dad John, which is showing my age, who is a great guy.
‘I’ve met Stuart a few times and the next time we meet, I’ll be congratulating him on his achievement. He’s one of the best and most exciting players in the world and an inspiration to the next generation. So are Rory Sutherland and Darcy Graham, who are also from Hawick, and who are doing superbly well, too.
‘When I was a young man playing for Hawick, I would walk into the dressing room and see so many players I looked up to. In the town, there were players like Jim Renwick walking around.
‘It’s vital that young players see there are top players like Hoggy, Rory and Darcy who made it through the same pathways as they are currently on. That gives them hope. That should be the situation, not just in Hawick, but all over Scotland. Local heroes are important to inspire others.’
Former Lion Stanger believes Scotland have shown under Gregor Townsend that they can beat the best in the world in one-off games. The next challenge is to put a string of wins together in a major tournament.
‘The win over Australia a few weeks ago showed they can beat teams from the southern hemisphere but then there was the loss to South Africa,’ he said.
‘All that’s missing is the consistency to beat teams one after another in a tournament like the Six Nations or the World Cup and that isn’t far away from happening.’