Chiefs will help Hogg escape his RWC misery
FLYING full-back Stuart Hogg hopes hitting the trophy trail with Exeter will help him overcome the crushing disappointment of Scotland’s World Cup failure.
Despite travelling to Japan with high hopes, the error-strewn Scots were hammered in their opening match by Ireland before feeling the full force of a fired-up home nation to exit the tournament at the Pool stage for the second time in the last three World Cups.
Hogg, who has made an impressive start to his Chiefs career since joining from Glasgow, told The
Rugby Paper: “We talked about not beating ourselves, but we coughed up the ball three times against Ireland and found ourselves three tries down after 25 minutes.
“We believed we could achieve something special but ultimately we didn’t and when you look at that Japanese game, they’re a nation on the up whose attention to detail and skillset were incredible, but you talk about being hard to score against and we weren’t.
“For me, it was incredibly disappointing to come home at such an early stage. There were learnings to take but how many times are we going to get to the end of a competition, either the Six Nations or World Cups, and say we’ll be better for the experience?
“A lot of boys have come and gone because we’re not learning and it becomes a little frustrating.
“The hard facts are we need to be better individually and collectively and show the country that we’re out there for a reason and passionate about what we do.”
While Scotland lick their wounds ahead of the Six Nations, Hogg has made a fresh start with an Exeter side seeking to capitalise on his pace and incisive running skills.
Explaining his move to Devon, Lions star Hogg, 27, said: “I’m always wanting to improve, always wanting to challenge myself.
“I’d had a few conversations with (Exeter rugby director) Rob Baxter over the last few years and I just want to be the best I can be, on and off the field. I truly believe that you’re never the complete rugby player but Exeter can get me to where I want to be.
“I’ve been fortunate to pick a club that wanted me to come down and play and I’m excited to hopefully have a good season and play my part in winning trophies. I’ve been getting my hands on the ball a lot and getting the space to show what I can do.
“Ultimately, I’ve got to prove I’m good enough to be at Chiefs and good enough to play in the Premiership. Every competition brings its own challenges but the big thing for me was the brand of rugby Exeter play.”
Ironically, Exeter host Hogg’s former club Glasgow in their second Champions Cup match this Saturday – a date the Melrose-born flyer has been looking forward to.
He added: “I’ve never been in this situation before and it’ll be a bit different, but I’ve just got to focus on the job I’ve got to do. As much as I loved my time at Glasgow, I’m an Exeter player now and we’ll be looking to turn them over next weekend.
“To be in a position to win trophies, we need to win every game we’re involved in and Europe’s no exception. We’ve got an incredibly tough pool with La Rochelle and Sale in it as well, but it excites me and the club and we’re ready to go.”