LEAVING PRESENT
with the lure of a Celtic Park f i n a l n ex t S a t u r d ay, mea n s Hogg is holding back on the “final curtain” vibe, fully aware that tomorrow is just the first part as he seeks to serve a full two weeks notice completely committed to the cause of leaving on a high.
“I had two seasons [at Firhill]. I’m older than I look,” he said with a smile. “It was good to get a bigger stadium, a bigger fanbase, and the club has grown year on year ever since. So, it is a special place.”
There was a time, as Hogg reflected on in a recent interview with The Scotsman, that he had angled for a move away from Scotstoun, ironically to tomorrow’s opp onents, but that is water long under the bridge and he has thrived in the west of Glasgow, claiming a Pro12 winner’s medal in 2015.
T h e f u l l - b a c k i n s i s t e d h e would not be fazed by the fact he’ll be running out as a home player for the last time.
“It is just about putting in my normal performance. I’ve got a role and responsibility within this team to execute, so hopefully I can get a few opportunities to do that,” he said. “It is going to be tough towards the end, but my fo cus is to help make sure we have a final to look forward to the week after.
“It would mean a huge deal but more because it is a chance to win some silverware. We’ve played the whole season gunning for silverware, and we’ve got a great opportunity but the first task is Friday night.”
Of course, there are swansong stories from the other side too, notably that of lege n d a r y U l s t e r man a n d I r e - land captain Ror y B est, who will b e striving to make his last appearance for the province before his post-world Cup retirement a final rather than semi-final appearance.
“Ror y Best has been a great servant to Ulster and Irish rugby. He’s going to b e coming here ready to rock and roll,” said Hogg, who has been on Lions tours with the 36-yearold hooker. “He’ll have their boys fired up, but we’ll meet f i r e wi t h f i r e a n d s e e wh a t they’ve got to offer.
“He’s s o me b o dy I ’ve g o t a huge amount of resp ect for. The guy i s a n a b s o l u t e l e g - end. So, we’ll be respectful in the way we approach him but, hopefully, we can spoil the party by getting the win.”
T h e m e s s a g e a m o n g t h e Warriors squad is that their 30 -7 win over Ulster in Glasgow last month is being discounted in a bid to remove any sense of complacency. “They [ U l s t e r ] a r e a q u a l i t y t e a m and if you sit off them they are going to get momentum going forward and they are difficult to stop on the back of that,” added Hogg.
“They’ve got some cracking individual players and they really have a good collective team spirit. They are going to be sending off a couple of club legends so they’re going to be up for it.
“Fo r u s , i t i s p r o b a b l y t h e perfect week to concentrate on ourselves. We need to be solid in defence and clinical i n a t t a c k like we have b een the last couple of weeks. It is knockout rugby now so, if we bugger it up, then we’re done.
“It’s another step closer to achieving something special.”
“I’ll hopefully use it as an opportunity to thank the fans with my performances over the next couple of games, and hopefully we can win some silverware”
STUART HOGG