Hogg says Lions captaincy
Stuart Hogg’s growing stature as a leader has been there for all to see these past two years.
His attacking prowess and formidable kicking skills have made him a key member of every team he has been in, but in particular since becoming Scotland captain in the aftermath of the 2019 Rugby World Cup he has become increasingly able to inspire his teammatestoemulatehisownhigh standards.
The full-back knew then that he was ready to take on the honour, and told Scotland coach Gregor Townsend that he wanted the job. Given the success of the national side since then - and in particular this year’s Six Nations victories at Twickenham and in Paris - it should perhaps have come as no surprise to Hogg when head coach Warren Gatland named him captain of the British & Irish Lions to take on their South African namesakes in tomorrow night’s first match on tour.
But he insisted yesterday that he had not expected the honour at all, and said that for all he had dreamed of representing the Lions, he had never dared to think he would be leading them. “It came as a bit of a shock at the team announcement on Monday evening when Warren gave me the shout I was going to be captain,” the 29-yearold said. “He said he tried to catch me before the meeting but couldn’t quite get me, so I found out the same time as everybody else.
“It’s a huge honour to be here first and foremost, but to have the opportunity to lead the side - never in my wildest dreams did I think this would happen. For me it’s a huge, huge honour. As a kid growing up you watched all the different Lions DVDS and videos, and I had a dream of representing them one day. But to be given an opportunity to captain the side is absolutely amazing.
“I’m over the moon. I’m delighted with the opportunity. A huge amount of confidence [has been] put in me to lead this side, but for me it becomes a lot easier when you’ve got a lot of experience within the squad as well. I’m hugely excited for the challenge.”
Conor Murray is now the tour captain, Alun Wyn Jones, pictured above, had that honour before dislocating a shoulder in the Lions’ win over Japan last weekend, and several others have taken on the role on a game-bygame basis since Hogg first played for the select back in 2013. But given his age and his enthusiasm for that old footage of previous tours, it was only natural that, asked who comes to mind when he thinks of a Lions captain, he named the man who led the squad to a series victory over the Springboks 24 years ago.
“After watching the ‘97 Lions video about a million times, and being able to quote 90 per cent of it, I’d probably say Martin Johnson,” he continued. “I absolutely loved it.
“I think the thing for me about captain is it doesn’t change anything that you do. You go out there and you be your own man, you be yourself.
“I’ve never been the one that will stand and scream and shout or boss people around: I like to lead by the way I perform. I’m very fortunate that within this team at the weekend there’s a huge amount of experience and some great leaders involved in this team: Owen Farrell, Finn Russell, Maro Itoje, Jamie George.
“For me, I just need to go out there and do my job. That’s the kind of way that I lead. And if there’s something to be said, I’m a very, very passionate rugby player, and I’m hugely excited for this challenge ahead.”
Hogg revealed that he will speak to the injured Jones for some advice ahead of tomorrow’s fixture. “I'll probably pick up the phone to Alun Wyn over the next couple of days and pick his brains,” he added.
“Obviously I was bitterly disappointed for him picking up an injury, but he'll have a huge impact on this tour in terms of what he's done over the last few weeks and what he'll do moving forwards. He's an absolute legend of the game so I'll definitely be picking his brains, that's for sure.”
There are three other Scots besides Hogg and Russell in the starting 15 - Chris Harris, Ali Price, pictured below, and Hamish Watson - and Zander Fagerson is on the bench. Blending four national teams into one is an important ingredient of the Lions alchemy, but on such a short tour as this one with only five games to go before the Tests, Hogg is convinced that working with team-mates he already knows well could be crucial.
“It’s key. Gats and the rest of the coaches have touched on it. We’re looking for combinations throughout the next three or four games to see who will be in the Test side. We are the ones who have been given the opportunity this week.
“We are the ones that have got to kick off this tour in a good way. And to have Finn and Ali playing inside me, boys that have played together a huge amount of times - hopefully they can drive us round the field. I know they’re hugely excited.”
So is Hogg, needless to say. He suffered a double disappointment last week, first being left out of Exeter’s starting line-up for the Premiership final against Harlequins and then ending up on the losing side, and is determined to rediscover that winning feeling tomorrow.
“I’m absolutely delighted to be back playing. It’s been a few weeks since I started a game. The build-up has been very, very good. We’ve talked a lot about putting a marker down early doors and really starting this tour in the best way possible, and that comes down to getting everything right on Saturday evening.”