Scottish glint to Lions armour

PROFILE | STUART HOGG SCOTTISH GLINT TO LIONS ARMOUR

THE LIONS’ BACKFIELD WILL BE PATROLLED BY ONE OF THE GAME’S MOST DANGEROUS ALL-ROUNDERS, SCOTLAND FULLBACK STUART HOGG

Scottish rugby has had a turbulent history with the British & Irish Lions over the past two decades as the most recent Scotsman to start a Test for the Lions was Tom Smith against Australia in 2001. Stuart Hogg will end that drought in 2021.

The Scotland captain may not be the tallest in stature, but in rugby terms he is a giant.

Assessing Hogg’s value to the Lions can’t be done without appreciating his attacking prowess. To describe him as elusive would be to overlook an array of factors that, combined, make him one of rugby’s most dangerous counter-attacking fullbacks.

The Scotland fullback is a tricky customer when he decides to probe the line because he quickly identifies mismatches and then uses devastating acceleration and a knack for slipping tackles to take advantage of the opportunity.

While he is adept at gliding past defenders with ball in hand, this does not hint at a selfish player. Regularly deployed by Scotland coach Gregor Townsend at first receiver for the way he puts other players into space, Hogg has excellent vision and distribution skills which allow him to function as a second playmaker – something

Right: The fullback captained Scotland to famous wins against England at Twickenham and France in Paris during this year’s Six Nations Below: Hogg suffered a tour-ending facial injury during the Lions’ third match against the Crusaders in 2017

438

The number of running metres Hogg made in this year’s Six Nations, the thirdmost in the tournament

Townsend will certainly look to exploit as the Lions attack coach.

Defensively, Hogg’s positional play is exceptional as he reads the game better than most and has the speed to cover the width of the backfield. No matter the conditions, he is also consistently excellent under the high ball and, together with an enormous boot capable of relieving pressure, these will be important attributes in dealing with South Africa’s thunderous kicking game.

Hogg’s all-round kicking game is well refined. Capable of producing booming clearances he is equally adept at finding space behind the opposition with perfectly-weighted jabs.

Although he is not often utilised as a goalkicker, Hogg is something of a long-range

The Scotland captain may not be the tallest in stature, but in rugby terms he is a giant

specialist. History suggests that having a player capable of kicking penalty goals from inside his own half will come in handy.

While the Lions will not lack for leadership around the park, Hogg’s influence should not be underestimated, particularly considering the strong contingent of Scots in the squad.

A man of few words who leads by his deeds, Hogg has been talismanic for his country. In his role as playmaker and captain in 2021 he helped Scotland to their best Six Nations results in decades.

The trip to South Africa will be Hogg’s third as a Lions tourist, following a visit to Australia in 2013 and the tour of New Zealand in 2017 which, for him, came to a premature end due to injury.

In South Africa, Hogg will have the opportunity to make up for that disappointment, using every weapon in his substantial arsenal to help propel the Lions to glory.