Hogg could provide the missing link
By Mark Stevens
22/11/19
For years he was widely regarded as Glasgow’s lynchpin when it came to their annual assault on the Champions Cup.
Now, many believe Stuart Hogg’s recent arrival here in Exeter could help provide the missing piece to the Chiefs jigsaw when it comes to tackling European Rugby’s top club competition.
Too often, Rob Baxter’s side have flattered to deceive against Europe’s elite. Instead, for some unknown reason, they have been unable to transform their dominant domestic form to that of the Champions Cup.
Sure, there have been some notable scalps over the years, but there have also been some costly slips, which have ultimately cost the Devonians from advancing into the latter stages.
Only once have the Chiefs reached the last eight of the competition, that was back in April 2016, but a last-gasp conversion from Jimmy Gopperth saw their dreams evaporate Wasps claimed a 25-24 win at the Ricoh Arena.
Alongside his team-mates, Scottish star Hogg has made no secret of the fact that he is keen to address the issue at his new club this term. And having helped the Chiefs to get off to a dream start with last weekend’s 31-12 victory away to La Rochelle, now he has his former employers fixed in his crosshairs this Saturday afternoon.
“It’s one thing getting a good result over in France last week, but now it’s time to back it up,” said the 27-year-old. “The last time we played at home [against Bristol], we played well for 40 minutes, but then we kind of let ourselves down.
“Last week was probably the first time this season where we could actually put our finger on things and say that was near enough an 80-minute performance. Here’s hoping we can back it up again this weekend.”
Certainly, the Chiefs will head into today’s tussle full of confidence given their display at the Stade Marcel Deflandre, but Hogg better than anyone knows the threat the Warriors will pose.
“They’re a quality side, have quality players, and it will be a tough challenge for us,” said the gifted full-back, who spent nine years playing with the Warriors. “However, it’s a challenge we truly believe we can win. If we can nullify their threats, guys like George Horne, Ali Price, Adam Hastings and DTH van der Merwe, then we’ll give ourselves a great chance.
“At the same time, if we can get our own dominance in the game – like we did last weekend – then that will certainly help put us in a position to win the game too. As I said, it’s an exciting challenge and a massive opportunity for us to take another step forward.”
Not surprisingly, Hogg says the banter has been flowing this past week ahead of kick-off. Various text messages have been exchanged, but come kick-off this afternoon he insists the fun stops and his focus will be firmly fixed on producing for the Chiefs.
“I’ve never been in a position where I’ve come up against my old team, until now,” he added. ‘I’ve had a wee bit of banter this week – and also at the World Cup. I see DTH has come out and mentioned stuff about my hairline and getting stuck into me, but he’s been all apologetic on the message I got from him this morning!
“The banter’s been good, but ultimately we’re all here to do a job and mine is to make sure we get a win this weekend. Ideally, I’d like to have had a couple of years down here before I came up against Glasgow, but look, what will be, will be. For me, it’s just another opportunity to pull on the Exeter jersey and take a step closer to hopefully achieving something special.”
Already, though, Hogg has demonstrated during his opening month with the Chiefs that he can be a vital cog in the well-oiled Exeter machine.
“There’s been lots of learning to do, but the players and the coaches have really helped me out. Slowly but surely I’m getting to grips with all of our structures and the way we want to play. Hopefully, moving forward, it will really start to show in my performances.
“For me, the Heineken Cup is right up there and a great stage for any player to perform on. You only have to look at how many internationals will be on the field at the weekend to see that. If you look at our side and you look at the Glasgow side, there is a lot of Text experience on show.
“These games, though, are the ones you want to be involved in and it’s why as a kid you picked up a rugby ball. You want to play in these huge games and this weekend will certainly be one of those.”