A PASS MASTER
Hogg illuminates a dreary Six Nations weekend with his instinctive brilliance
VERN COTTER smiled on Saturday. It was not the grin of the Cheshire cat but it was there. Not quite full beam, a small twinkle maybe, that’s all.
A coach smiling may not seem like headline news but the reason for the understated yet satisfied grin should be.
The Kiwi had just watched a piece of pure rugby magic. Straight from the All Blacks flair manual. Page 36 — ‘The Back-handed Offload Assist to secure a Test Victory.’
Sonny Bill Williams has been poring over that page for years.
But it was not a much-vaunted New Zealander who provided this joyous moment. No, it was a 23- year-old from Mel rose. Borders born and bred. A product of the Scottish system. Stuart Hogg.
The scoreboard reads Italy 20 Scotland 29. 77 minutes played. With WP Nel in the sin bin some Scots are nervous — it surely cannot happen again? But Hogg knows nine Italian points in two-and-a-half minutes is not the next line in the script.
He wants to end this nine-game losing streak once and for all. Greig Laidlaw spins the ball from the base of a ruck situated 18 metres from the Azzurri line. Finn Russell hears Jaco Peyper shout ‘advantage’, so feeds it straight to Duncan Taylor, who ships it on one more to Hogg.
It’s a two-on-two situation now. But Hogg skips to the right, Mattia Bellini is on his heels, David Odiete has to avert his gaze from Tommy Seymour on the wing or Hogg will go through. He is committed — both Italians try to stop the Scot.
But there it is. Just before contact is made Hogg flicks a wonderful one-handed pass out the back door to the grateful Seymour, waiting outside. He’s there. Over the line. The run is over. And Hogg points to the Roman sky before his winger has a chance to touch down.
A rare glimpse of wonderful attacking Technicolor in another grey Six Nations weekend.
Yet this act of delightful impudence should not be so unique in Northern Hemisphere rugby. On the weekend that Super Rugby returned with
53 tries in nine matches, the Six Nations once again stood as a bastion of stodginess.
Scrums took up a f ull 18 minutes of England v Ireland at Twickenham. George North completely missed the ball when l ooking to f l y- hack against France — only scoring due to a lucky bounce off Jules Plisson.
Yet Hogg’s offload reminds us it can be so much better — a fantastic expression of an effective skill. It was a move that summed him up. Daring, bold, exuberant. Let’s hope the dour ways of European rugby do not beat this out of him.
Hogg has not so much gained a new lease of life since the arrival of his son Archie on November 19 last year — he has always been like this. For him, rugby is fun. Full of life and colour. In the professional era, European rugby has been far too concerned with picking up heavy things, putting them down again before stuffing your face with protein and learning a pre-determined play-book.
What you do with the ball will always be the most important thing. Yes Hogg will do his weight-training and eat correctly but he’s primarily a ball-player, a footballer.
Regrettably, he is a rare breed. Commentators and fans guffaw when they see a 19-stone prop throw a wobbly pass, or drop one at their feet. That sums us up. ‘It’s not their job’, ‘he’s got good hands for a front-rower’, they say.
But watch Agustin Creevy of the Jaguares. In their Super Rugby debut on Saturday, the Argentina hooker captained a side who were 24-3 down, with two men in the sin-bin, to an historic 34-33 win against the Cheetahs.
In the incredible comeback, he did a Hogg. Off the base of a rolling maul he broke, stepped a defender and flicked a back- handed offload to Martin Landajo to score. Creevy is a hooker.
If Ross Ford, Dylan Hartley or Rory Best had provided that piece of skill we would be having kittens up here. In Super Rugby it is commonplace.
Later in the match, Matias Orlando ran through six tackles before flicking an identical offload to Landajo again.
With that, they won the game. The point is this offloading skill is something many rugby players practise.
But the Southern Hemisphere stars execute it when it matters, they back themselves to pull off the simple movement under pressure. Too often our players do not. Too overawed by the occasion, too afraid of making a mistake and looking stupid.
Practice makes perfect. Players must be encouraged to spend hours honing these skills. They are professionals. It is their job to do this. Like in football and cricket, the players drive the evolution of the sport, inventing new ways to manipulate the ball. A Panenka penalty, a ramp shot over the wicket-keeper.
Yet ball- handling skill in European rugby has hardly improved in the 21 years since professionalism.
That is, frankly, embarrassing. Only a few statesmen in the Northern Hemisphere carry our flag.
Be more Hogg. Be bold. Be expressive. And if we can get old stern Vern beaming, then we might all be in Wonderland.
I TALY prop Marti n Castrogiovanni has been cited for allegedly stamping on Scotland’s Duncan Taylor during Saturday’s Six Nations match in Rome. If found guilty, he could miss the March 12 encounter with Ireland in Dublin.