Stuart Hogg joins The Telegraph
Read his first column today
Maro Itoje knocked on my bedroom door last night in a bit of a panic. Apparently ‘BIL’ the Lions mascot, had gone missing again.
It is one of the great Lions traditions that the youngest player of the squad must constantly have BIL at his side, and make sure he travels to each of our destinations, training sessions and matches. I was the youngest member of the 2013 tour of Australia, so I know what a responsibility it is.
You always have a feeling of dread in your stomach when he goes missing.
I still remember my very first day four years ago in the camp in Wales, when Mike Phillips, the Wales scrum-half, hid BIL. At times I almost forgot my boots because I was concentrating so much on making sure the lion was where we were meant to be going.
The worst moment came when we were playing Queensland Reds in Suncorp Stadium and the 23-man squad who were playing were on a separate bus.
I set BIL out on the pitch, and after the game I thought he would just be in the changing room, but when I came in and got showered and changed, he was not there. One of the guys who was not playing had obviously pinched him and taken him back on his bus. I was very worried on the way back that he would actually be there!
The fact that my door was the first Maro knocked on suggests I have a pretty bad reputation for hiding him already. I must admit I have had a bit of fun with Maro. I do feel sorry for him, but BIL is a huge part of this tour and he has to go everywhere. He will go walkabout at times, but he will always be close by, and someone will always know where he is.
There is a fines committee to administer justice when BIL does go missing.
Maro does his best and tries to never really let him go. The only time we manage to get him is when he goes to dinner; when he turns his back, BIL is gone in a second.
It has been remarkable how quickly we have come together and gelled as a group. The boys are enjoying each other’s company and there are a few characters. Kyle Sinckler is one who is getting a fair amount of laughs.
For the first couple of weeks I roomed with Anthony Watson. He is half man, half mattress. After that first conditioning week in
‘Bonding is easy. We have huge respect and admiration for each other and one goal: winning’
Wales he was flat out on his bed after training.
In the last couple of hotels I have roomed with Jared Payne, who is a nice guy who loves his books. Now, unfortunately, I am stuck with Conor Murray. Actually we are really close. I got on really well with him on the last tour and we have kept in touch, so it is nice to be able to room with him again.
In many ways the bonding is easy because we have huge respect and admiration for each other, and we have one goal: winning. Everyone is hungry for success.
We have talked about taking another step to become a Lion. Where that step takes us we have no idea, because there is no limit to what we can achieve.
The intensity of training has been right up there and I have absolutely loved it. I am learning a hell of a lot from other players from the other nations, and it is just a question of figuring out how everyone likes to play.
Being an outside back, I like to give my 13 a little bit of time and space on the ball to see what he can offer, and create space for the wingers when I get the opportunity. I am sure by the time the Test matches come along we will be in a good place.
The concept of ‘rugby chaos’ we have been practising in training suits me down to the ground. We have got structures in place to break down teams and hopefully win, but if we are getting good go-forward ball, the structure goes out the window and we just play rugby. We will play what is in front of us and that is when everyone is at their best – when we have open space, ball in hand and showing what we can do.
To beat the All Blacks we will need an X-factor. When was the last time a team just kicked goals to win a Test in New Zealand? We are going to have to score three or four tries. We have got the players and the ability to do that, and everyone is just chomping at the bit and excited to get going. Over the next couple of weeks we will show everyone what we are about.
Warren Gatland is looking for team players, and when you play as a team you play for the team, and you get the best out of yourself.
It is when you go looking for individual glory that everything can fall apart.
I simply cannot wait to do my bit for the team against the Crusaders.