CARL HOGG, the former Scotland cap, is in optimistic mood going into 2015 as his Worcester Warriors side sits proudly atop England's Greene King IPA Championship.

 

Hogg, who turned out for Melrose and Edinburgh among others during his playing days and won five caps for Scotland between 1992 and 1994, has been coaching for more than a decade since he retired in 2003.

He moved to Worcester from Gloucester in the summer of 2013 and endured a tough first campaign at the helm as the side won a mere two matches from 22 in the Aviva Premiership.

"It meant that we had a big rebuilding job to do during the summer just past and I, along with the other members of the coaching and backroom staff including [director of rugby] Dean Ryan, spent a lot of time making sure we were putting the right things in place," Hogg explained. "We wanted to build an environment where young players could flourish and learn about themselves and their team-mates. We felt that putting our faith in youth would be a much better long-term plan while, of course, they are helped along by the experienced men in our squad."

So far in the 2014/15 campaign, the plans of Hogg, Ryan and co have worked pretty well. Saturday's 36-17 victory away to Yorkshire Carnegie secured their ninth win from 10 league matches to date in England's second tier.

They also won six of six in the British & Irish Cup to set-up a quarter-final with Pontypridd at the end of January while the A team - effectively the reserves - have also won all their six outings so far.

Hogg continued: "We knew that the Championship was going to be tough because it is quite a forward-orientated division while a lot of the clubs pride themselves on being very hard to beat at home.

"Ourselves and Bristol are, in some quarters, perceived as the big two in the division and, as such, each week the guys have faced different challenges because everyone has been wanting to take their scalp.

"They have reacted well to that challenge and it is pleasing to be in a good position in the league but, for me, it is all about performance and seeing the players improve as a group. The main aim in the new year is to see this continue and make sure that we secure a top four play-off spot."

One of the main challenges any modern-day professional rugby coach faces is squad rotation: making sure every player has enough game time without being burned out.

The B&I Cup and the A team matches are a godsend to Hogg in this respect because they allow him to blood talented young players before they make the step-up to the challenges of the Championship.

"The players nowadays are lucky in a number of respects because they have coaches, strength & conditioning experts, nutrition experts and such like on tap all the time," Hogg stated. "However, the game has changed these days and is so physical, so making sure the players are constantly at their optimum is key. At Worcester, I think we have a good set-up that helps them do this."

Part of that set-up is the defence coach Simon Cross, the former Edinburgh captain, and Hogg has been delighted with his input. "Simon is a very meticulous character and he has become an important member of our coaching group," he said.

Hogg's dream of guiding his charges back to the Premiership continues when Worcester host Cornish Pirates at Sixways Stadium on January 10.