Boss Hogg answers his critics
By Mark Stevens
16/2/20
He’s taken his fair bit of heat in recent weeks, but Stuart Hogg emphatically silenced his critics in the best possible way as his first-ever try in the Gallagher Premiership helped Exeter Chiefs to consolidate their position at the top of the table.
Fans and pundits have been quick to heap misery on the Scottish skipper for perceived errors in the opening weeks of the Guinness Six Nations. On Friday night at Kingsholm, however, the 27-year-old showcased why is widely-regarded as one of the best players in the world.
Alongside his Chiefs team-mates, Hogg bossed proceedings against the Cherry & Whites, helping the Devonians record an impressive 26-15 victory in Round Ten of the competition.
His second half touchdown, coupled with a first half score for Jacques Vermeulen, plus 16 points from the boot of expert marksman Gareth Steenson proved more than enough for Rob Baxter’s side on the night.
It was little wonder, therefore, that Hogg was all smile at the final whistle.
“Look, it was great to get back out there again,” he said. “The boys have opened me with welcome arms this week. Yes, I took a little bit of stick here and there, but we came here tonight to perform and thankfully we done exactly that.
“We’re going home with four points, which is exactly what we were after,”
Vermeulen’s converted score early in the game helped the Chiefs to lead 7-3 at the break, after which a series of successful penalties from Steenson helped to stretch Exeter’s lead further.
However, it was just past the hour mark when the game saw it’s defining moment. Fielding a pass back inside from Steenson, Hogg accelerated from deep inside his own half before feeding team-mate Sam Simmonds. Still with plenty to do, the all-action No.8 himself applied the after burners, scorching down the left flank, fending off rivals, before slipping a sumptuous offload back inside to Hogg.
From there, Hogg again applied forward thrust, rounding Gloucester’s Ben Morgan on the way to the try-line.
Keen to ensure there would be no repeat of his blunder in Dublin a fortnight earlier, Hogg clutched the ball as if his very existence depended on it. He dotted down to great acclaim, not just from the Travelling Tribe, but also his team-mates who swamped on top of him to celebrate.
“As I said, I’ve taken a bit of stick recently, but it’s good to be playing and having a smile on my face,” he continued.“Simmo’s lovely offload stuck me through and there was no way I was making a mistake with the grounding this time.”
It was certainly a victory to savour for the Chiefs, not only because they dented the hopes of another top four rival, but they had to overcome testing conditions and a powerful Gloucester outfit on the night.
“This is not an easy place to come and win,” added Hogg. “The boys have been telling me all week how difficult it is to come here and get a result. That said, we stuck to our basics, we defended incredibly well over the first 50 minutes, and we got ourselves in some good places in the second half. We’re chuffed with that.”
As Hogg eluded to, the Chiefs were forced to dig deep into their defensive reserves during a tight first half. However, that dogged work certainly paid dividends and they were able to exert their own force after the interval.
“The first half was difficult as we had to defend for large periods,” said Hogg. “We got a good try early doors, but then we had to take our medicine for a while. Thankfully, we held firm and we got ourselves in a good place.”
Friday night’s victory was the perfect start to a testing four-game block for the Chiefs, which continues this Sunday with the visit of Northampton Saints to Sandy Park, quickly followed by games against Harlequins (away) and Bath (home).
“These next three or four games are massive for us,” said Hogg, who this week will return into camp with Scotland ahead of their clash on Saturday away to Italy in Rome. “We’ve started this block in the right way and now we’ve got the chance to back it up next week. Right now, we’ll enjoy tonight, enjoy the weekend, then get back to it again on Tuesday.”