Stuart Hogg: The Young Warrior
Stuart Hogg: The Young Warrior
Most nineteen year old rugby players would dream of making their debuts for their country's first team, but for Stuart Hogg, that became a reality against Wales at the Millennium Stadium in this year's Six Nations. His ability to work with both hands and lightening pace made him someone to watch as he came agonisingly close to scoring his first Scotland try. An opportunity missed maybe? Not so, as this failure only spurred him on as he evaded two tackles to play in fly half Greig Laidlaw, who chipped ahead but the situation was defused by some valiant defending by Wales. Hogg's performance in that game will live long in the memory for sure, especially when Scottish legend Andy Nicol expressed his excitement to the BBC for when Hogg was to make his full debut against France two weeks later. But how did Hogg come from just a Scotland player to a future British Lions prospect in the space of a couple of Scotland games?
With family heritage in the rugby world, it was fitting that Hogg began his career at Hawick, the well established rugby club on the Scotland-England border. Like his dad, John, who was also a player at Hawick and later on a referee, the nineteen year old made his way through their system and caught the eye of the Scotland youth teams featuring at under-17, under-18 and under-20 level. The young man was to not only follow in the footsteps of his father, but also the late Bill McLaren CBE. It seems the Borders is a rich resource for Murrayfield talent with the likes of Lee Jones, Kelly Brown and current captain Ross Ford all beginning their careers in that area, but the area is only a shadow of its former self as it has suffered from recent disasters such as the Foot and Mouth outbreak in 2001 along with a steady migration of young people to the cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow in search of employment and education. With all of this happening at such a young age, the added clash of his academic studies was always going to be a tough distraction but one that would show good character in Hogg in the fact he could juggle his immense love for rugby with his school life. At Mansfield Park, the home of Hawick Rugby Club, he perfected his unique running style and 'never-say-die' attitude to the game where his continual practice caught the eye of Glasgow Warriors Head Coach Sean Lineen, who snapped him up as part of the development programme in 2010.
Lineen explained to me what expectation's he has of the Hawick product, "Stuart has bags of talent and is not out of place in any team, the fact that he can play anywhere along the back line makes him a huge asset and with more game time and further development, he should become a main stay in the Scotland team. Both Lineen and teammate Troy Nathan say he is a Lions prospect for the future and there is no denying that, however stiff competition from Rob Kearney and Leigh Halfpenny means Hogg will have to be patient and take any opportunities he is given with both hands. The decision by the full back to move from Hawick to Glasgow was a big one, and he settled in well during his first season away from home. With age comes maturity, and Hogg showed this in leaps and bounds as he was restricted to only two appearances in his debut season for the Warriors. Patience was another characteristic he needed to show as Lineen was waiting for the right time to introduce him to the Warrior's XV. When the 2011-2012 season arrived, the head coach unleashed him and he failed to disappoint with a string of impressive performances in the RaboDirect Pro12 and the Heineken Cup which rewarded him with a long term professional contract. His on-field performances didn't go unnoticed by his peers who described him as a good decision maker and someone that brings energy and speed into a team, which he proved against Munster by scoring a hat-trick of tries in a 35-29 defeat. Lineen likened the Hawick product to the former All Black Franco Botica, who plyed his trade at five-eighth with the Head Coach pinpointing his dangerous running and game winning mentality as but two similarities between the two players.
Hogg's work ethic on the training ground was also commended by centre Troy Nathan who portrays him as a diligent professional who is "Humble and really down to earth . With the 2012 Six Nation's on the horizon, there was a huge chance the young man was to be included in Andy Robinson's 36 man squad and fortunately he was, but he would first have to cut his teeth for the Scotland A team who faced a daunting encounter against the England Saxon's. Miraculously, the underdog's came out on top in what was a completely dominant display by the Scot's, winning the game 36-0 with Hogg stamping his intentions by scoring a 60 yard try and evading five attempted challenges in the process. This solo effort proved to be the springboard Hogg needed as he was to be included in Scotland's Six Nations team against Wales at the Millennium Stadium. Clearly, the gym sessions' Stuart dearly loves had the right effect and proved beneficial to his international career.
In my opinion, it's scary to think that someone so young, like Stuart, is such an influence in a team especially when he is only nineteen. The way he has consistently worked on his game, particularly his attitude to the lucky and enviable situation he is in shows the tremendous love he has for rugby. With his girlfriend also moving to Glasgow in time for next season, this will only spur on the young man further. As the Pro12 season slowly reaches its climax, he will continue to go from strength to strength and become a key player in the Scotland team, but for Hogg, this is only the start of something special.
