Six Nations: Stuart Hogg is right leader at the right time, says coach Townsend
● Townsend hails new skipper Hogg as Scots bid to rebuild in the Six Nations
Scotland coach Gregor Townsend believes it is the “right time” for Stuart Hogg to lead his nation into a new era after naming the star full-back as his captain for the forthcoming Guinness Six Nations.
The 27-year-old exeter chiefs player replaces hooker Stuart Mcinally as Scotland look to rebuild after a disappointing 2019 Six Nations, in which they finished fifth, and a pool-stage exit at the World Cup in Japan.
Townsend, who has included six uncapped players in his initial 38-man squad, was Hogg’s club coach for a number of years at Glasgow and said of his fellow Borderer: “I think Stuart is at the right time to do it. He’s learned a lot from his own experiences and from others.
“This is the right time for him. Maybe a few years ago it would have been too early. He wants to do it. And he has the experience and knowledge about what needs to be said, when to let others talk.”
With the Test retirements after Japan of Greig Laidlaw and John Barclay, as well as experienced winger Tommy Seymour, Hogg is now the most capped player in the squad with 72.
At the other end of the spectrum, the six uncapped inclusions are Gloucester lock Alex Craig, Glasgow’s Australian wing Ratu Tagive, who is now Scottish qualified, Edinburgh flanker Luke Crosbie, his backrow team-mate Nick Haining, Glasgow loose forward Tom Gordon and Warriors centre/ wing Kyle Steyn.
Notable exclusions include the veteran Glasgow pair of back-rower Ryan Wilson and centre/stand-off Pete Horne. Warriors’ No 8 Matt Fagerson has a rib injury, which opens the door for the return of former Edinburgh man Cornell du Preez, now at Worcester, who won the last of his six caps in the thumping by Wales at the start of the 2018 Six Nations.
Hogg has captained Scotland once before, against United States in Houston on the 2018 summer tour. That game ended with a shock 30-29 defeat.
Townsend added: “We lost the game, but I don’t think it was anything to do with Stuart’s captaincy. We started well and we lost our way a bit and almost won the game at the end.
“It was a young team, he was captain, and there were a lot of guys on their first caps. He’d been vice captain in a number of games, Stuart Mcinally was the tour captain but was injured until the Argentina game. The positive thing was that certainly didn’t put him off. He learned a few things about how to speak to players during games when things aren’t going your way, and he wants to put that into practice.
“At times with Glasgow and Scotland, he’s worked with Al Kellock, Greig Laidlaw and John Barclay, he’s seen how things worked for them. And I’m sure he’ll lean on guys like Al and Greig for advice.”
Scotland face a daunting start with a match against Ireland in Dublin where they have won only once in 20 years [at Croke Park ten years ago]. They have never tasted victory at the revamped Lansdowne Road, now the Aviva Stadium.
The 1 February crunch comes just over four months after a comprehensive 27-3 dismantling by the men in green in Yokohama derailed Scotland’s World Cup campaign before it had even got going.
“We’ll see what happens in the Six Nations,” said Townsend, who knows that another poor campaign could lead to the end for him in a job which he took over in 2017, although his contract with the SRU runs to to the end of next season.
He added: “There are going to be challenges for the team and the captain – and there will be more responsibilities. But he [Hogg] is embracing that.”
Townsend has changed the squad’s preparations, taking them to a training camp in Spain the week before, then directly to Dublin on the Thursday. he revealed that, following a week’s training at Oria min Edinburgh, the 38- man squad will be trimmed to “32 or 33” for Spain, then 28 for Dublin before the final 23 is selected.
Five-and-a-half years after the relationship between coach Gregor Townsend and star player Stuart Hogg appeared beyond repair, the full-back has been named Scotland’s new captain.
Both men have since spoken about the rift which emerged as Townsend did not take kindly to the then youngster’s attitude and manoeuvrings for a move away from Glasgow to Ulster.
The air was cleared and Hogg went on to help Townsend’s Scotstoun side to a historic Pro12 title the following year and then scooped two successive Six Nations player-of-the-tournament awards.
“At one time I was really worried we might not work together as coach and player anymore,” said Townsend, right, of the player who left Glasgow last summer for a big-money move to English league leaders Exeter Chiefs.
“A lot of that was down to Stuart in the way he reacted the following season. He came in and was ultra-professional and determined to be the best player he could be.”
Hogg made the British and Irish Lions tours of 2013 as a youngster and 2017 but is still waiting for a Test in a red jersey after a facial injury in New Zealand. Townsend believes the player has clearly matured a lot in the last few years.
“Obviously I feel very grateful to coach someone like Stuart – and see him grow as a person,” he said.
“He’s a family man now, he’s taken on the challenge of going to a new club. And he’s really impressed the Exeter coaches with the homework he’s done, as well as how he’s played, and also how he gets the best out of others with the way he plays.
“If you look at his game from four or five years ago, his line-break ability, his massive kicks, that was all outstanding. But it’s now about how he puts others into space through a little pass, a little kick.
“He has a great understanding with his back three. If you’ve been watching any of our sessions, you’ll know that he’s the loudest player on the field.
“For a full-back, that’s a great thing, telling the frontline where they are defensively. But you see when we win a penalty, whether it’s a scrum penalty or around the contact area, he’s first in.
“He’s an energiser. And that’s a real attribute to have as a captain.”
Hogg became the ninth man since 1947 to captain the country from the full-back position in the summer of 2018 when he got a oneoff chance in the 30-29 loss to United States when tour skipper Stuart Mcinally was injured.
He now gets the chance to make the role his for some time to come and Townsend has no concerns about the fact that those in the No 15 jersey are often viewed as deeplying attackers who are a bit distant from the thick of the frontline action for the primary leadership role.
“That was certainly something we talked about. It is unusual. For some reason full-backs haven’t captained (Test teams too often) but I did have a full-back as my captain,” said Townsend, in reference to the legendary Gavin Hastings, who skippered his country 20 times and also the 1993 Lions.
“I played 13 [outside centre] and ten [stand-off] for Scotland when Gavin was captain and it was great to have the captain outside me giving me confidence to play,” said the Scotland coach.
“So I know the effect the captain can have on the players around him. We have to have other people who can speak to the ref at certain times.
“With penalties, full-backs will have time to come and chat to the ref. It might be around the scrum that Stuart is not going to be the person to speak to the ref but referees nowadays will speak to hookers, speak to scrum-halves, maybe someone in the back row if it’s around the contact or around the scrum. We just need to make sure we work that well with the players we have.”
Hogg replaces Mcinally, who Townsend admits may have found the captaincy too much of a burden. The Edinburgh hooker went into the World Cup in blistering form but was visibly knocked by that opening thumping by Ireland, his form slumped and he was left out of the decisive final pool match defeat by hosts Japan.
“It was a tough decision to make
“I feel very grateful to coach someone like Stuart –andseehimgrowasa person... He’s an energiser. And that’s a real attribute to have as a captain”
GREGOR TOWNSEND
with Stuart not starting against Japan and not to be captain,” said Townsend. “But he and I had been meeting regularly during that period and he hadn’t been playing to his best.
“We felt that was because of the new responsibilities and pressures of being captain.
“The most important thing is that whoever is captain plays well and are able to play well.
“Stuart has been one of our best and most consistent players and trainers for the last two or three years and wasn’t able to get to that level during the World Cup.
“We want to make sure that doesn’t happen again and we think a different captain will enable him to focus on his game.
“He’s still a key leader. Him and Fraser Brown are very experienced players for us. I’ve met them both a few times since the World Cup and their contributions to how we have reviewed things and once we come into camp will be very valuable.”