England joker Hill calls a halt to winding up ‘flash’ Hogg and ‘superstitious’ Gray
England lock Jonny Hill has called a temporary cease-fire in winding up Exeter teammates Stuart Hogg and Jonny Gray as today's Calcutta Cup clash with Scotland looms.
Hill will lock horns with his fellow 2020 double winners when England launch their Guinness Six Nations defence at Twickenham in the 150th anniversary of international rugby's oldest rivalry.
"We've spoken in previous weeks but it's gone radio silent this week," said Hill, who is keeping Courtney Lawes out of the starting XV after making his Test debut last autumn.
"I'm pretty laid back and easy going but I know that Stuart and Jonny get a bit edgy towards the weekend.
"Before games I like to keep it natural. If I feel I need to do something or eat something, I will. But Jonny, especially, can be a little bit superstitious about things. He's a little bit different to me. I've seen him strap his legs three times before going out for a warmup. He will put it on, look at it, take it off and then do it again. It's not right really.
"Stuart is massively OCD, really bad. I'll go past his bag and turn everything upside down to get under his skin a little bit. In the bag are Louis Vuitton washbags and Gucci glasses. He's a very, very flash guy considering he's a farmer boy from Scotland.
"It will be nice to catch up with them after the game but right now I'm focusing on my performance."
Responding to Hill’s admission that he empties his bag, Hogg said he would be looking to exact revenge on his clubmate. “Well that’s absolutely brilliant because he said it wasn’t him,” said Hogg at Scotland’s pre-match press conference. “It happens on a daily basis. I like to try to keep my place in the changing room neat and tidy. I always come in from training and something has been moved. I’m a sucker for attention to detail. It’s good that he’s finally admitted it but he’s just trying to rattle me. I’ll try to get him back for that in due course.
“He’s a big gentle giant and someone who I’ve become close friends with in the last 16 months. I think his rise has been unbelievable. He doesn’t take himself too seriously but he works incredibly hard at his game and is fully deserving of his call-up to the England squad.
"I’ll look forward to catching up with him tomorrow. Obviously, we’ll not be friends for 80 minutes but after that we’ll be back to normal and I’ll need to try to hatch a place to get him back.”
Hogg also countered Hill’s ‘flash’ wisecrack.
“Yeah, we’ll let him have that,” said the Scotland captain. “Just ask him about his new car. He was going around in a humble car but he’s got a flashy car now.”
Among the pivotal duels today will be Hill's battle with Gray. Both players are 26 but Gray is vastly more experienced at Test level with 61 appearances to Hill's four.
"Jonny Gray is quite a quiet guy, but he has got the best out of me for sure," Hill said. "I would like to think I have helped him improve as a player as well. I enjoy playing alongside him and I'll relish playing against him. We're not too bad for comparing stats. He's a top fella, but he does support Rangers . . . . "