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The Rob Baxter verdict on the shock Stuart Hogg retirement call

By Liam Heagney
(Photo by Simon Galloway/PA Images via Getty Images)

Exeter boss Rob Baxter has given his reaction to Monday’s shock decision by Scotland international Stuart Hogg to retire from rugby at the end of the 2023 Rugby World Cup. The 30-year-old joined the Chiefs in 2019 but rather than extend his career with the Gallagher Premiership club into 2023/24, he has decided that he will finish up playing in Devon in May and will then wrap things up with Scotland in October.

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Baxter admitted he was initially surprised when Hogg originally revealed his retirement plan but when it was explained to him that the Test-level centurion felt his body wasn’t any longer fully capable of performing to the world-class level he is known for, the club director of rugby was supportive of the conclusion.

Appearing at his weekly media briefing ahead of this Sunday’s Heineken Champions Cup round-of-16 game at home to Montpellier, Baxter said: “To be fair to Stuart, he kept me informed of the decision-making process. We were waiting on the timing of the announcement but we kind of knew the scenario.”

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Asked by RugbyPass how Hogg will be remembered at Exeter, the club he has represented 66 times, Baxter replied: “I’d like to think he would be remembered as one of the guys that tipped that balance towards us winning the Heineken Champions Cup because that is ultimately where we got to with that group of players.

“It was a group of players we made a concerted effort to build and improve and grow and develop over quite an extended period of time and then with various things happening around salary cap (being increased at the time) and other things that happened, we got to add a couple of international quality players that kind of topped off the group and allowed us to perform to the peak of our abilities.

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“That is kind of what Stuart’s role was, to come in and help us finish off those scenarios. That is what he did extremely well and that is what he will be remembered for more than anything else. At the day of the day, the guy was on the podium when we won the Premiership and won the Champions Cup. You don’t need to be remembered for more than that sometimes and that was what he helped us to do.”

Not that it was all plain sailing for Hogg at Exeter, as he was benched for the 2021 Premiership final versus Harlequins just weeks before he bounced back to be a starter in the British and Irish Lions Test series in South Africa. And in the last year, he also had to grapple with losing the Scotland captaincy.

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“It is an interesting thing from the outside, people can always read things into what goes on within teams and within squads and nine times out of 10 there is not really any issue, but it always looks like there must be.

“Sometimes it can be just very simple, that this guy is off form, this guy is not quite on form, this is reasons for selection, reasons that change things. It’s not always as straightforward as they seem and sometimes, they are a bit more complex than that.

“As far as I can concerned, Stuart has done everything we [Exeter] have asked him to do when he has been here. He has had a difficult time but let’s face facts – he is a very proud Scotsman. It was an incredible thing for him to be given the Scotland captaincy and that being taken away was a challenge for him.

“It was a definite challenge for him, and he has come through that and his Scotland performances have shown that, so he has faced some pretty tough challenges. He has made that call now that at the end of the day, rugby is less enjoyable for him purely because of the physical prep it is taking.

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“He is someone who a key part of playing has always been an enjoyment factor and if that is something that is getting tougher because of his physical condition, it takes a lot out of the whole point of playing rugby and I think that is really the decision that Stuart has come to.”

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Trevor 8 minutes ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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Bull Shark 4 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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