Hogg: I won’t be stand-offish at stand-off
Skipper Hogg out his comfort zone and ready to give his all v
SCOTLAND skipper Stuart Hogg admits his move from full-back to stand-off has taken him out of his comfort zone.
However, he is determined to prove he is equal to the challenge in today’s clash against Italy at Murrayfield.
The 28-year-old, who has taken over the No.10 jersey for this match from the concussed Finn Russell, will be responsible for organising all of the attacking play against the Azzurri.
It is a high-pressure job for someone who has played only a handful of games in that position since he was 15, with the last time he started a game there being for Glasgow against Benetton in 2016.
It’s a bold selection by Gregor Townsend and Hogg is determined to repay the faith.
Hogg said: “I enjoy being out my comfort zone, I enjoy being challenged, and I enjoy people writing me off by saying that this could go very, very wrong.
“I’m not going out there to prove anything to anybody –
SCOTLAND ITALY TODAY, MURRAYFIELD, 2.15PM
I’m going to go out there to do my basics well and make sure I’m driving the team forward.
“And I have a huge amount of confidence about that because Gregor and the coaching staff have handed me the reins – and if I wasn’t capable of doing the job then they wouldn’t have given me it.
“I’m really nervous about the game but to get the best out of people you need to put them in uncomfortable positions, so this is the perfect scenario for me.
“I’m not going to go into the game with as much confidence as I would have if I was at 15 but I’m excited about the challenge and hopefully I’ll bring the best out myself and the team.”
Hogg has worked closely with Russell this week in preparation but knows he has to focus on playing to his own strengths.
He said: “I won’t say I’m anything like Finn because nobody in the world of rugby is.
“We have a gameplan which will get everyone involved, and I like to think that over the past couple of years I have improved at distributing to bring others into the game.
“I can’t see why that will change in any way. I just have to make sure that I don’t try to chase things too early and don’t try to score off every phase.
“Finn’s obviously bitterly disappointed that he picked up a head knock and timing-wise it has ruled him out but he’s been there for us all to help with the preparation.
“He’s watched a fair amount of rugby for us, he’s analysed training and had suggestions about where we can learn and improve. So he’s been absolutely brilliant and I would expect nothing less from him because he is a world-class talent who cares massively about this team.” Italy haven’t won in the Six Nations since 2015 and have an average losing margin of over 35 points per game this year. But Hogg insisted Scotland are expecting a huge challenge from Franco Smith’s team. He said: “The important thing is we start really well, get on the front foot and make sure we are clinical. If we can do that, we’ll gain confidence but the longer Italy are in it the more their confidence will grow. “It’s all about being squeaky clean and making sure we do the basics really well, front up defensively and have a clinical edge in attack. “Hopefully, that will be enough to keep the scoreboard ticking over.”