Hogg steps in to give flying Finn a break
STUART HOGG will take the No 10 jersey for Glasgow’s Guinness Pro12 clash in Treviso this afternoon but coach Gregor Townsend is confident the Scotland star will be just as influential at fly-half as he is at full-back.
Townsend insisted that Hogg’s shift was not part of a long-term plan but was simply to give firstchoice playmaker Finn Russell a rest amid a busy schedule of matches.
Hogg played stand-off at times as a teenager in Hawick and, famously, started there for the British and Irish Lions in 2013, but this will be his first start in the No10 shirt for Glasgow as the Warriors seek to back up the Boxing Day win over Edinburgh against a Benetton Treviso side chasing a record fourth win in a row.
Hogg’s positional switch is one of a raft of changes by Townsend after the 1872 Cup success, using his squad to provide a festive break for many and ensure players are fit and fresh for the big European Challenge Cup matches next month. But there is no long-term plan, nor a bid to impress Lions coaches by reminding Warren Gatland of Hogg’s versatility, said Townsend.
‘That (Lions) is not in our thoughts at all,’ said the coach.
‘We’ve gone into games with him covering at No10 and he’s not been used, so it’s more about giving him a chance to get that experience to be able to cover if Finn has to go off.
‘I’m excited about it. We didn’t want to rest Stuart and Finn in the same game and we believed this gives us the opportunity to see Stuart and Peter (Murchie), who was playing well before his injury, while Rory (Clegg) gives us cover of an experienced stand-off on the bench.
‘He (Hogg) hasn’t asked for it. I said to him a few weeks ago: “You’re going to cover ten this week” and he said: “Great”. But he loves being full-back. In his first year, where he played a bit at outside centre while still 18 or 19, he wanted to play full-back more than 13.
‘Getting his hands on the ball more was always the goal and probably the conventional wisdom back then was that he needed to be playing No 10 to get his hands on the ball more.
‘But, actually, full-backs now get it 15-20 times in a game from kicks and the way we try to get our No15s involved, he’s been getting on the ball in second or third phase as first receiver.
‘Now he’s going to have 40 or 50 touches of the ball, so I’m looking forward to seeing how he goes. Watching him today in training, he’s very good at organising what we do in attack and we also want him running — he’s got the licence to take people on if there’s space ahead of him.
‘But he’s a very good passer of the ball, a good kicker, and now has a level of experience and knowledge of our attacking shape that allows him to control what we do in attack.
‘He can make decisions on where there is space to attack. He has a very good running game and while it’s suited more to full-back, and running onto the ball, he can still take it as a first receiver, too.’
There was a time when Hogg was considered as a potential star at stand-off but, as he prospered at full-back, Russell quickly emerged as a fly-half of great potential.
The pair have become central figures in improving the attack at Glasgow and Scotland, and it is instructive that Townsend did not wish to rest them both on the same weekend.
Injury to Peter Horne — who is expected to return in February — has also opened the door for the trial, at a timely moment.
Beyond Russell, Scotland have precious little depth at stand-off and if Hogg proved adept in his new role it would offer the Borderer another string to his bow, and give the national team a valuable option.
He is currently a stick-on for the British and Irish Lions squad that will travel to New Zealand in the summer and versatility is always prized in a touring squad facing a heavy schedule.
Townsend’s squad rotation has also allowed him to recall a host of players, including Gordon Reid, Tim Swinson and Ryan Wilson in the pack and impressive backs
Sam Johnson and Tommy Seymour after breaks, while Rob Harley’s career will hit the notable milestone of 150 club appearances if he comes off the bench.
The key, however, is building on the win over Edinburgh and moving from their current sixth position into the top four.
The Italians have won only twice in the Pro12, at home over the Dragons and Zebre.
They narrowly lost to Cardiff recently and after defeating Bayonne home and away in the European Challenge Cup and Zebre, are on the verge of a first-ever fourth straight win.
Townsend is also wary of their burgeoning style of play under Kiwi coach Kieran Crowley, adding: ‘He has them moving the ball a lot more.
‘They still have their traditional strengths of the set-piece and driving maul, with big men, so we have to make sure we defend well against them, but our aim is also to move them around.
‘Every game is different but we know it will be a much tougher test than in the past because they are playing better.’ GLASGOW: Murchie; Bulumakau, Grigg, Johnson, Seymour; Hogg, Pyrgos (capt); Reid, MacArthur, Rae, Swinson, Alainu-uese, Ashe, Fusaro, Wilson. Replacements: Flynn, Allan, Fagerson, Harley, Favaro, Kenatale, Clegg, Lamont. Stadio Communale di Monigo, kick-off: 1.05pm. TV: Live on BBC ALBA.