Stuart Hogg determined to exorcise his own personal Cardiff nightmare

For Stuart Hogg, this Six Nations campaign is fast becoming akin to one of those anniversary tours that bands like to indulge in – a reminder of former glories, a chance to wallow in the nostalgia of early triumphs and faded youth. England’s visit to Murrayfield last weekend prompted reminders of the night Hogg’s thrilling talent was revealed with a stunning try in an A international. On Saturday it will be 10 years to the day since he made his Test debut as a replacement against Wales in Cardiff. In a fortnight, when France come to Edinburgh, exactly a decade will have passed since his first start against the same opposition.

Except for the Scotland captain, it is hardly a greatest hits tour. His first four Six Nations Championship matches ended in defeat and if Hogg is still “living the dream” 10 years on from his debut as a 19-year-old, the career of one of Scotland’s greatest players still awaits a defining moment, a collective triumph to crown what has been a fine body of individual work.

Pre-tournament optimism has risen further after that opening win over England, but Scotland’s miserable record in Cardiff should temper any hint of complacency. Hogg has lost on all four of his visits and has been part of a run of 10 successive failures in the Welsh capital since their last win in 2002.

The nadir was 2014 when Hogg was sent off after 22 minutes for a late hit on Dan Biggar or, as he puts it, “a bit of a brain fart and a huge amount of built-up emotion executed in the wrong way”. Trailing 10-3 at the time with 14 men, Scotland capitulated to a record 51-3 defeat.

“I have grown up a lot since then,” says the 29-year-old. “Selfishly it is probably the best thing that ever happened to me. It was horrible at the time,