THERE have been any number of statistics about Stuart Hogg swirling around this week, as he prepares to make his 50th Scotland appearance against France this afternoon. His two tries last week against Ireland took him up to seventh equal on Scotland’s all-time try-scoring list; he will be the youngest player to bring up the half-century for Scotland; and he will be the 40th Scot to reach 50 caps.

But the most relevant stat about the full-back from Hawick is surely, simply, his age. At 24, he is not even at the halfway stage of his career. This is his sixth season of international rugby, and he could easily play eight or nine more. Not only is he nudging ever nearer to the record tally of 24 tries held jointly by Ian Smith and Tony Stanger, both Grand Slam heroes; he is on course to set a record for Scotland caps, surpassing the total of 109 achieved by Chris Paterson from 1999 to 2011.

The fact that more Test rugby is played these days has undeniably contributed to the speed with which Hogg has racked up his 50 appearances. But his accumulation of caps says more, much more, about his special talent, and about how swiftly after that first cap against Wales in 2012 he became a fixture in the Scotland team.

With so much to look forward to, starting today when Scotland bid to make it two Six Nations Championship wins out of two, Hogg may be disinclined to indulge in too much nostalgia. Whatever the highlights of his time in the game may be so far, the best is surely yet to come. But he had time for a little reminiscing after a squad training session at Oriam last week, and did not hesitate when asked to nominate the high point of his international rugby career.

“The first cap,” he said. “The dream is to play for Scotland, and to do that was just unbelievable. Not just for myself, but for my family as well.

“In terms of highlights, last weekend was definitely up there. It was a phenomenal performance, not complete by any means, but that’s the exciting thing. Not everything was perfect and we still won the game.

“It was very much a dream to play for Scotland, and every opportunity I get to play, I take nothing for granted. I go out there, express myself and have some fun.

“I enjoy playing every game in a Scotland jersey. There’s no better feeling than winning in a Scotland jersey, so we’re going to do everything we can to see what our game plan is going to be, see where their strengths are, their weaknesses are, and hopefully exploit them and then come Monday for us to be travelling home would be perfect with two from two.

“I’m living the dream just now and it will be a great day. But it’s not about me, it’s about us going over to France and getting the win. Nothing’s going to change that.”

If Scotland do win, it will be at least a little bit about Hogg, but the full-back is well aware that it will also have to be a real team effort. He knows there will be passages in the game when the home team will be on the front foot and the visitors will be under some serious pressure, but he is confident that, with self-belief and composure, Scotland can get the upper hand and inflict a second defeat on the French following their 19-16 loss to England last weekend..

“We watched a little bit in the changing room after our game,” he said of that match at Twickenham. “There’s a huge amount of work to be done, but we’re very excited about the challenges that lie ahead.

“They like to chuck the ball about, don’t they? Their off-loading game was absolutely incredible – I watched a bit of the Australia game [in November] before I came in here and it took about 20 phases to score the try with countless off-loads in there.

“Defensively we’ll have to be on the money. We’ll have to shut them down at the earliest opportunity and take our opportunities when they come our way.

“They try and play the same every single time they play, so there will be opportunities for us in attack. There are going to be times when we’re under the pump, so hopefully we’re calm and in control of everything we do.”

Asked to compare himself to the novice who made his international debut in 2012, Hogg mentioned his changed physique, but also hinted at the greater metaphorical solidity he has now as well. “I’d probably say there was a wee bit added weight, some of it good. No, I think I’m a lot more experienced since back then.

“There have been some highs and some lows, a lot of learning done along the way. I keep going on about it, but it’s about having fun in a Scotland jersey and winning games. A fair bit of experience. I had to learn pretty quick.”

Too often, in sport as in education, "learning" can mean having the joy crushed out of you; having your natural instincts replaced by an adherence to systems. Thankfully, Hogg’s eye for a break has never grown dimmer. And, if he ever were to find himself taking things too seriously and forgetting that the game is there to be enjoyed, he is confident one of his team-mates, in particular, would help him snap out of it.

“When you’re playing outside Finn Russell you’re going to have some fun. He’s the joker within the squad.

“When things are going well for you, you’re going to have some fun. I was fortunate to be on the end of two tries at the weekend; I had a smile on my face and that’s exactly what I’m after. If you’re not having fun then you’re in the wrong sport.”