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'Jonny Gray was quite disappointed... he was sitting next to us and didn't get in the photo'
Stuart Hogg has explained the backstory to his hewartwarming post-match ‘beers’ picture with Finn Russell following last Saturday’s Champions Cup final between Exeter and Racing in Bristol.
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The snap of the victorious Hogg and the vanquished Russell went viral following the Anglo-French final at Ashton Gate, the two Scottish pals sharing a beer following a match that took place before Russell’s return to Gregor Townsend’s international squad.
Russell walked out of the Scotland team hotel last January ahead of preparations for their Six Nations opener against Ireland and amid the fallout he wasn’t selected in any of the squads Townsend picked that spring.
However, following clear-the-air talks, Russell this week has returned to the Scotland squad ahead of their Friday night game with Georgia which will be followed next week by their trip to Wales for the final round of the delayed Six Nations.
Appearing on this week’s episode of The Rugby Pod, Scotland captain Hogg explained that the national team furore with Russell was overblown. He also let slip Jonny Gray’s disappointment that he didn’t appear in the post-game picture with Russell and Hogg, as he was sharing a beer with them at the time.
Cheers Hoggy? Episode 10 is live?
iTunes – https://t.co/CDshhentxS
Spotify – https://t.co/MYaY7kPIOS pic.twitter.com/G88zVmBu3Y— The Rugby Pod (@TheRugbyPod) October 20, 2020
“What’s happened happened,” said Hogg in relation to the fallout between Russell and Towenend last January. “We can’t change anything. From that point of view it was all blown way out of proportion to what actually happened.
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“Finn and I are very, very good mates and I wanted to go and see how he was after the game. We said in the lead-up up to the game we’d have a beer or two. As I said, he’s a very good mate of mine and I wanted to see how he was.
“Jonny Gray was actually quite disappointed as he was sitting next to us as well and he didn’t get in the photo. He said, ‘Hoggy, this looks really bad, it looks like I have not to come to see how Finn’s getting on…’
“It was good. For me that’s part of rugby, having a beer with your opposition, and it just happens that he is one of my best mates. I wanted to see how he was. Obviously I was disappointed for him that he didn’t get the win, so it was kind of a weird feeling, but he was chuffed to bits.
“We had a couple of beers, a good blather, and he’s absolutely buzzing to be back in (Scotland) camp this week. He can get his 50th cap this week, so it’s a big week for him.”
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Hard to please everyone in Exeter's hour of glory ? https://t.co/FJ5EyKejpT
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 17, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
The Melbourne Rebels lineout is a complete disaster so not surprisingly a kiwi coach of the Wallabies hires the worst lineout coach in the country and a foreigner to boot. No surprises whatsoever here…….
3 Go to commentsThank your for wasting 2 minutes of my life Daniel. There is a useful message in there somewhere but your delivery sucks.
7 Go to commentsBen Smith, you are cry baby
213 Go to commentsSux that homophobia is still a thing though. I wonder how many players who could have become legends never kept playing rugby because they felt unwelcome.
7 Go to commentsCrazy he’s only 28, feel like he’s been around forever - don’t mind the move, safe pair of hands and creates depth in a thin position for ABs. Hopefully aides Kemara’s growth also without thrusting too much responsibility on him
1 Go to commentsMen should show strength and be mean, but they should be able to show emotion to those close yo them in certain times, birth of your child, death of family, proud moment. This article is stupid
7 Go to commentsWhat a weak article…absolute drivel and clickbait, well done. Will stick to rugby365 thanks
7 Go to commentsHonest, discipline, humility… Priceless.
2 Go to commentsSo many excuses. No mention of the SA number 2 being taken out illegally in the 2nd minute. That act of foul play had a massive impact on the SA game. Face it, NZ play pretty dirty very regularly, and it’s only since 2016 they’ve been held to higher officiating standards via stricter officiating and TMO reviews. They deserved to have a man down. Sorry. Fix the yellow and red cards and NZ will win more RWCs. Plus, there WAS a knock on invalidating the one try, so it was NOT a try. Period. Here’s a Kleenex…
213 Go to commentsOverheard conversation between NZ and SA rugby fans everywhere: We’re the greatest! No! we’re the greatest! We’re the greatest! No we’re the greatest! Ireland are arrogant! True but they beat you! We’re the greatest! No! we’re the greatest! Etc. etc, etc.
28 Go to commentsTypical crap Aussie weather
11 Go to comments“If they’d have beaten England, I still feel we would have been talking ‘is this the best team ever,’ ‘is this the best team that’s ever played in the Six Nations'” he said. “I still think they’re not quite that good. I actually don’t think they’re that good.” So Trimble is saying he doesn’t think this is the best 6N team of all time. He is silent on if it is the best Irish team of all time. Can’t disagree with him. Just another misrepresentative clickbait headline from the guys at RP.
28 Go to commentsWow, do we really still have to listen to all the excuses and “unfairness” of it all. Even blaming the bounce of an egg shaped ball for the loss. But the article is about context, so what about the Springboks having to play the other 5 teams in the top 6 and still beating a comparatively rested AB team on a very empty tank.
213 Go to comments“Teams would generally have three coaches below their head honcho; attack coach, defence coach, forwards coach” do they? I’m not sure what the NZ set up is tbh, but the other 4 sides top 5 sides all have very different structures to the one outlined in the article! As well as attack, defence, and forwards coaches, SA, Ireland, and France also have specialist scrum coaches. England have a specialist scrum coach too, but arguably don’t have a forwards coach, with that role taken on by Borthwick. SA also have a backs coach in addition to defence and attack, and Ireland and England have fitness coaches, with England also having two skills coaches.
3 Go to commentsWorst article I've read in a while. Trying to disguise a backhand slap as a compliment. The whole article is a bit weird and negative. I think South African men are emotional in general… think Clad le Clos’s father 2012 London Olympics.
7 Go to commentsIreland are going to win the world cup.
28 Go to commentsIt was the strangest result ever. Etzebeth should've been yellow card for his cynical retiring move and a penalty try. Birth second half tries by the Allblacks were fantastic and the TMO operating outside the law to rule out the first try was egregious. Yes, the boks got the win but it was through some bizarre officiating that allowed them to sneak home against 14 men that dominated them. The quieter Bok supporters know and acknowledge the Allblacks were the better and dominant side. Justifying the win because they beat a pre world cup Allblacks selection is silly.
213 Go to commentsA very English thing to do hey Courtney, blerrie kant
4 Go to commentsIt sounds like Andrew is trying to convince himself or has just lost all perspective. The team did look jaded for the last couple of games of the six nations but a few things were wrong there. Italy tackled their hearts out and made Ireland work hard for every try. Outsmarted by Scotland? Huh? Ireland got held up over the line about 4 times. Scotland did nothing on attack the whole game other than one breakaway near the end. A recharge and reset is needed which they hopefully will have had before the SA your.
28 Go to commentsIncluding SA and Argie teams was great for the quality of rugby, but middle of the night games and player travel/ jet lag make that unworkable. I think that SA in Europe and Argie building an American league with USA, Canada etc would be better long term. If Oz can't sustain Rebels then next cab off the rank should be a Japanese team. Keep regional comps to time zones, both club and test rugby. Then existing test windows for test tours plus RWC.
8 Go to comments