Hogg doubtful for trip to Wasps
By Mark Stevens
30/12/20
Rob Baxter is hopeful Exeter Chiefs star Stuart Hogg will not be sidelined for 'too long', despite limping out of the action in last weekend's Gallagher Premiership victory over Gloucester.
The Scotland captain limped out of the action just before half time with a concern over his hamstring - and was replaced for the remainder of the game by Tom Hendrickson as the Devonians maintained their 100% record this season with a 28-20 triumph.
Having had the injury assessed by the club's medical department and with a subsequent scan, Director of Rugby Baxter was today able to allay fears that Hogg could be sidelined for some time.
Speaking in his weekly media briefing, Baxter said he was confident that the 28-year-old will be back in harness for the Exeter's remaining European fixtures against Toulouse on January 16 or the following week back at Hogg’s old stomping ground of Scotstoun in Glasgow.
The news will also be of relief to Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend, who would have been concerned that his on-field talisman would have been in a race against time to be fit for his country’s 2021 Six Nations opener away to England on February 6.
“You saw Stuart Hogg came off early against Gloucester with a tight hamstring," said Baxter. "At this stage, he looks doubtful for this weekend [against Wasps]. We are still assessing him, but he's had a scan and it doesn’t look too bad.
“We’re hopeful that he will be back in and around the group at the latest for those European game. However, it’s like anything with these initial periods of these injuries, what a lot of medical teams would tell you is the swelling etc makes people relatively hard to assess. At this stage, we are hoping it is relatively short-term and yes it will be Europe and he will be back available for Scotland as well."
As well as Hogg, the Chiefs also have a doubt over South African forward Jannes Kirsten, who also picked up an eye injury in the win over the Cherry & Whites.
“Jannes Kirsten came off with a bang to his eye," added Baxter. "Like Hoggy, he's a doubt, so we have picked up a few injuries. That said, every team is picking up injuries. Wasps picked up injuries as well. That is the nature of the game at the minute, organising and managing our squads is what it is all about at the moment. All you can do through this period is keep fighting and hoping that the guys who get on the field can see things through.”
Exeter’s win over Gloucester was a successful return to action for the Chiefs after they had seen their round two European game away at Toulouse cancelled due to a Covid outbreak in their ranks, an issue they weren’t given the all-clear from until late on Christmas Eve.
“Was it a bit of a fraught week? It was. We had very low training numbers of only people who continually tested negative right through the process which meant the team never ran together. The tests that allowed us to play on Boxing Day we didn’t get our last tests in until half-eleven on Christmas Eve,” explained Baxter.
“One of the last things I did on Christmas Eve was I spoke to Tony Rowe to say that’s it, all the tests are in now, and we had a 100 per cent right through, completely negative for everyone tested and it was only at that stage that Tony was able to give the staff at Sandy Park the OK that the game was definitely going ahead.
“The positive is we got through it all and we got the team on the field who, despite it not being their best performance, did enough to get us a bonus-point win against what was a good performance from Gloucester.”
Saturday's trip to Wasps - who themselves picked up a decent win at Sale Sharks last time out - comes just ten weeks after the sides met at Twickenham in the 2019/20 final, a showpiece that eventually went the way of the Chiefs.
And past experience of tackling the Midlanders means Baxter and his Chiefs know they can expect a stern test in this latest showdown at the Ricoh Arena (2pm).
“I have been watching their games and I’m expecting them [Wasps] to be good," warned Baxter. "They are enjoying how they are playing; they are playing with a lot of energy; and they had a a very good win up at Sale. Nobody appreciates more than myself how tough it is to go up there and get a win. They have got confidence.
“There will be an element of them wanting to get their own back from the final to prove a point. We’re going to have to turn up there and have a little bit more energy than we had at the weekend which I am assuming we will do and just get ready for what will be a fast-paced game. It’s something we’re needing as well, a tough challenging game away from home. They should be the things that start to get you ready for the return to Europe.”