WHEN Stuart Hogg was selected for the British & Irish Lions four years ago, he was a prodigious but still raw talent. Just 20 when the squad for the tour to Australia was announced, he did not play in a Test, with his most memorable appearance coming at stand-off during one of the midweek matches.
This time, he is determined that things will be different. A far more well-rounded player, and a more mature individual too, he has won a PRO12 title with Glasgow Warriors since that 2013 tour, as well as taking his tally of Scotland caps past the half-century. And, while his stint at 10 did not go at all badly back then, he will tour New Zealand purely as a full-back.
While Hogg was the one Scot widely seen as a certainty to be picked, he only learned of his inclusion for sure when the squad was announced at noon yesterday. Thrilled to be given the highest honour available to a British or Irish player, he was equally pleased for his Warriors team-mate Tommy Seymour, the only other Scot in the squad of 41.
“I’m over the moon, chuffed to bits to be going to New Zealand,” Hogg said yesterday. “It’s hard to sum up how I feel, as there’s been a lot of speculation in the last few weeks. As soon as my name was read out I was massively excited.
“I’m chuffed for Tommy as well as I think he’s been world-class in the last few years and fully deserves his place on the plane. I’m massively excited and hugely honoured as well.
“I was undecided whether to watch the announcement - but I decided to watch it. I was sitting on the couch with my wife and little Olivia as my son was sleeping in the other room. When I heard my name I was jumping about. I’ve now got a sore jaw for all of the smiling I’ve been doing since the announcement.”
Having got into the tour party, the next step for every player is to fight for a Test place, and Hogg is no exception. He faces a big fight with Leigh Halfpenny of Wales to become the starting full-back, but is confident he has the strength of character to put up a convincing case.
“I’ve become a better player since being part of the last Lions tour,” he said. “Here’s hoping I can get a bit of game time and show what I’ve got, and I’ll be doing all I can to make that happen.
“The level of professionalism goes up another notch. The biggest thing I learned from the last tour is the need to be professional 24/7. I certainly wasn’t that going into the last tour, but I believe I am now. I think I’ve matured over the last few years and here’s hoping I can get a bit of game time.
“I am a 15, and I’ll be doing all I can to get that 15 jersey. Now it’s a case of working hard and seeing if I can get that, and putting myself in the possible position to get that.”
Seymour, for whom this will be a first Lions tour at the age of 28, had a similar reaction to his Glasgow team-mate. “I still can’t believe it,” he said. “I want to play in as many games as possible, but I'll be targeting the games against New Zealand.”
The fact that he and Hogg play together for both the Warriors and Scotland should help Seymour, as they will have an understanding that could be lacking in other possible back-three combinations. Hogg certainly holds his team-mate in high regard, though was also quick to add that both the new Lions owe a lot to their team-mates at Scotstoun, some of whom had been contenders for a place on tour only to see their hopes quashed yesterday.
“He’s incredible in the air - great at the high ball both in attack and defence,” Hogg said of Seymour. “I’ve got every confidence to stick up a high ball for him to chase and know that he’s going to get that ball back.
“I think that sets him apart from the other wingers. His finishing ability - he’s got tries over the last few years, and fully deserves his call-up. Here’s hoping that we can play together.
“But I think the fact that me and Tommy are going is down to our team-mates, whether that’s at Glasgow or Scotland. At Glasgow, we’ve been chasing trophies for the past five years, and with Scotland we’re ever-improving.
“The fact that the ball gets out wide makes us look good. All our team-mates are getting us into good positions. Obviously I would have loved to have seen other boys joining us, and I think there are a few boys who just missed out. But it’s tough to pick a squad.”
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