Hogg targets Six Nations glory to ease pain of near miss
MAN of the Match Stuart Hogg believes that this Scotland side can achieve something special going forward and even challenge for the Six Nations title after they pushed the world’s best team New Zealand right to the final whistle last night.
In the dying seconds of an amazing Test match at a sold-out Murrayfield, full-back Hogg went flying down the left wing and looked set to grab the Scots’ third try that would have tied things up at 22-22, with a conversion still to come.
However, after he skipped past opposite number Damian McKenzie and had the crowd on their feet, stand-off Beauden Barrett came across to put in a great tackle.
That forced Hogg to spill the ball forward and the match was over, ensuring a 22-17 loss for Gregor Townsend’s battlers.
However, 25-year-old Hogg believes the squad will dust themselves down and be ready to take on Australia in the final autumn Test this coming Saturday.
And he thinks there is enough talent in the group going forward to continue Scotland’s recent positive journey into the 2018 Six Nations in February and March.
‘Absolutely, I think this group is improving game on game,’ said the Glasgow Warriors full-back.
‘There is nothing that I can say now that I haven’t said before. I think the challenge now is to back that performance up and get the right result against Australia to end November on a high.
‘It will be a huge challenge for us, but that is why you play rugby isn’t it? We just came up short against the best team in the world and next week we play the Aussies, who are just as good, so these are the games I love to be a part of.
‘If you are not going out every single game to win, then what is the point in being here?
‘I think for us that is a long-term target (to win the Six Nations), but we take each game as it comes. Now we concentrate on Australia and when the Six Nations come round we will look at that — but I truly believe we are in a position where we can achieve something special.’
From the first minute in this one, Hogg, who scored a try against Samoa last week, had his tail up, running at the All Blacks defence at real pace to cause them a lot of problems.
He linked up well with outside centre Huw Jones and wingers Lee Jones and Tommy Seymour and showed the world watching on that he would have started for the Lions in the summer had he not picked up the facial injury that ultimately ruled the Scot out of the tour.
As for his final-minute dash up the wing yesterday, Hogg said: ‘I knew it was going to be tough to score, but, like always, I backed my ability and hopefully tried to get there to the try line. ‘Credit to Beauden Barrett, I think it was, he came in with a cracking tackle. I was pretty gutted to chuck the ball away as well, but on another day that comes off.
‘It was really gutting, to be honest, as we had momentum and the heads were up.
‘When you think about it having taken a few breaths after the game we were on the brink of something bloody special, weren’t we? The boys are devastated with that result.
‘We got ourselves into good positions to score tries and probably left a couple out there.
‘When they ran in their third try (to go 22-10 ahead) our heads could have gone down and I think for us it was challenging at that stage under the posts as it wasn’t exactly what we wanted.
‘But credit to the All Blacks, I
I think this team can achieve something special. For now, though, we focus on Australia
thought they were outstanding and took their opportunities when they came.
‘However, for us after that score it is another chance to get back on the horse and go again. The belief in the squad is incredible, and I believe in every single one of the guys.
‘There was never a point in that game when I thought that the result was dead and buried. I thought it was going to go right to the very end. It’s just gutting to be talking about a defeat.’