Stuart Hogg has high hopes for ‘best Scotland squad he has been in’

Stuart Hogg, on the eve of his ninth Calcutta Cup game, was reminded it is now 10 years since his first thrilling foray into the wider sporting conscience.

A Friday night in Galashiels saw the then 19-year-old dance his way to a 60m try for the Scotland A side against England Saxons, the highlight of a thumping 35-0 win for the hosts.

A week later Hogg was propelled on to the bench for the senior Scotland side in Cardiff and made his Test debut as a replacement on the right wing. “It’s quite scary that was 10 years ago already,” he said. “It means that I’m getting old. I’ve absolutely loved it and it’s been a good journey so far but I’m far from finished.”

In many ways Hogg – and Scotland – are just getting started. An international career that has brought 88 Scotland caps so far and three Lions tours began with four straight defeats. That was the way it was with Scotland back then: sporadic victories which ignited hope, swiftly dashed.

At 29, and embarking on his 11th Six Nations campaign, Hogg has no hesitation in declaring this the “best squad I’ve ever been involved in”. The Exeter full-back lost his first five Calcutta Cup matches from 2013 to 2017, the latter a record 61-21 shellacking at Twickenham. But he has won two of his last three – he missed the helter-skelter 38-38 draw in 2019 with injury – and believes there is no longer any fear in the home ranks when the red rose ranks come calling.

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t used to worry about playing England, especially in the early years,” he said. “For me growing up some of the names that used to play against us made playing them quite a scary task. But not now. I truly believe in the ability of myself and of the squad. I believe that we can go out there and