Hogg insists Scotland can’t afford to take foot off the gas

STUART Hogg has urged Scotland to banish any fears of pre-Rugby World Cup injury to the back of their minds and go for the jugular when the pre-tournament warm-up matches start against France in Nice on Saturday night.

The Scots face back-to-back meetings with the French and then Georgia as head coach Gregor Townsend whittles his squad down to the 31 names that will make the trip to Japan, and Hogg feels these are matches which must be approached at 100 per cent – regardless of the risk of an injury such as the knee ligament problem which Welsh fly-half Gareth Anscombe picked up against England that will keep him out of the tournament.

“If you think like that [about getting injured] you won’t be going to the World Cup,” said Hogg, now playing his club rugby in Exeter. “You will get injured or not play very well.

“It is an opportunity to pull on a Scotland jersey and there is no better feeling than winning in that jersey,” he added.

“If I am given the opportunity at the weekend, I will grab it with both hands and express myself and have some fun and do my part to help us win. You just have to concentrate on doing a job for the team. If you think about that sort of stuff you are not going to play well or give into everything with the full amount of heart.”

With training camps in Portugal and St Andrews, it has already been a long run-up to the event, but with teams starting to name their squads and looming warm-up matches, preparation has had an extra edge.

“This week is different,” said Hogg. “It’s a Test week and a chance to pull on the Scotland jersey and go to France and hopefully get a good win and kick on and hopefully achieve something special at the World Cup.”