Stuart Hogg apologises for Scotland players' unauthorised night out in Edinburgh

Stuart Hogg has apologised for the disciplinary breach which overshadowed the build-up to Scotland’s final match of the Six Nations Championship against Ireland.

The national captain said he had “held his hands up” over the incident which saw Hogg and five of his team-mates censured over an unauthorised night out in Edinburgh last weekend.

The six players went into town after returning from the match against Italy in Rome last Saturday night/Sunday morning. The news only emerged on Friday, forcing the Scottish Rugby Union to put out a statement saying that the management team had dealt with “a post-match matter”.

The other players involved are understood to be Finn Russell, Ali Price, Sam Johnson, Darcy Graham and Sione Tuipulotu.

Speaking after the 26-5 defeat by Ireland in Dublin, Hogg said: “For us, we held our hands up. We knew we made a mistake. We just got on with making sure we prepared in the best possible way.

“It was a challenging week, but it was one of our best weeks of preparation. We stuck together and got on with our jobs.”

Pressed further on the matter, Hogg added: “I don’t know how many times I need to say it. I apologised and I put my hands up. I’m bitterly disappointed with what happened.

“I was annoyed and frustrated, but I can’t go back and change anything.”

Head coach Gregor Townsend kept faith with five of the players involved in the incident, with only Tuipulotu not selected for Dublin. Russell was dropped to the bench, with the other four starting.

“Obviously what happened on Sunday was disappointing and so is today’s result,” Townsend said. “But in groups, in families, you have these moments where you can choose to come together and learn from it. I believe that’s what the team did throughout