What Hogg classily texted Nowell after the England player took his Exeter No15 shirt
It can’t have been easy for Scotland skipper Stuart Hogg to swallow that Exeter were dropping him from their starting XV for the Gallagher Premiership semi-final versus Sale, a demotion that has now carried into this Saturday’s final versus Harlequins at Twickenham. In four weeks’ time the Scot is expected to be Lions No15 when the Test series starts in Cape Town versus the Springboks, so not making your club side for the biggest games of their season through a perceived lack of form is quite a bad look when it comes to next month’s ambition of tackling the South Africans.
However, rather than throw any toys out of the pram, Hogg has sucked up his disappointment for the greater good of Exeter. We already know about the initial phone call Rob Baxter made to Hogg telling him he was being dropped for the semi-final following his display in the round 22 game of the league.
We also know that Baxter held further discussions with his player last Monday to ensure the air was clear and that Hogg was primed to train as best he could this week even though he would have needed an injury to a fellow back three player if he was to get back into the starting Exeter XV for Twickenham. What we didn’t know was how Hogg originally reacted after the first Baxter phone call, classily congratulating the fit-again Jack Nowell for getting the No15 Exeter jersey off him.
Nowell went on to do it justice, scoring twice and being brilliantly reliable under the high ball at Sandy Park, and it has now emerged that Hogg was fully appreciative of his rival’s re-emergence for what was just his fourth appearance in an injury-hit season. “It’s not ideal but to be fair, Stuart was the first person to actually text me,” said Nowell about the selection battle he was thrust into with Hogg.
“I didn’t see the team (named) but Stuart saw it and he was the first person to text me and said, ‘It’s awesome to see you back. I know you have had a bit of a shocking year but it’s awesome to see you back on the field’. It’s awesome to see that.
TEAM NEWS:
Midfield giant is back for Quins but the Chiefs have given their potential Lions No15 another dose of tough love#EXEvHAR #GallagherPremFinal
https://t.co/WMDmc4eUSU— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) June 25, 2021
“It is difficult. No one likes to be dropped and no one likes to take someone else’s position but the way we look at it is these are big games and we all want to be involved in and remember so at the end of the day whoever is on the field does the job at the time, but Stuart is always going to come on and finish strong for us. As long as we are picking up that trophy at the end of the game that is all that really matters.”
Lifting a trophy at English rugby HQ would be an incredible finale to a terrible campaign for Nowell who didn’t reappear until April following last October’s toe ligament operation and he then had a further six-week layoff before Baxter picked him to start last weekend’s semi-final.
“It has been a bit brutal. I have had my down days and stuff but I knew there is a lot more to play for. I knew if I sat back I probably wouldn’t have make it to these big games at the end of the year. I’m happy that I have dug in because this has alway been a big target for me. I love playing in these finals so I am glad the coaches are trusting me a little bit and the input of physios and stuff.
“My body feels awesome. I have had those niggles and unfortunately they are never going to go away but I feel like I am on top of them and I’m feeling really good to be fair. I haven’t got that muscle soreness, that rugby soreness that most of the boys have got after playing all year and I feel fresh. I feel like I am desperate to get involved with the boys and there is no better time than to do that at the moment.
“I am desperate to go on the Lions tour again but I can’t be angry not being picked because I played one game on the week of selection. For me, it’s just about getting fit, being there, not looking too much forward. I’m desperate to get back involved with the England lads and with Eddie (Jones). I haven’t been there since the World Cup so hopefully this summer I can get back on, have a good off-season and attack next year.”
Saturday is Exeter’s sixth successive Premiership final, quite a feat for a club that only played its first-ever season in the Premiership in 2010/11. It’s obvious they have become the top team to beat in the league but Nowell isn’t taking anything for granted in this latest final versus Harlequins as memories of the Chiefs’ disastrous first appearance in the final, the 2016 loss to Saracens, are still fresh in his memory.
“It’s weird. Five years ago we were the guys who made it to the top out of nowhere and we are almost expected to get to the final now. That’s certainly not what we are saying. We know how hard we work so we don’t feel lucky to be in the final. We still have that edge about us that we know what can happen.
“Even though it was five years ago that first final against Sarries, we were unaware of what was going to happen. The boys were a bit rabbits in the headlights. Warm-up wasn’t the greatest and I still remember it to this day. It’s certainly one thing we don’t want to happen to us again. The excitement and buzz of getting there is still certainly there. It’s not a given and we have never played Quins in this situation before. It’s a new one and one we have got to go and attack.”
It's an awkward time for the potential Lions No15 Test starter after getting benched by his Premiership club#LionsRugby #EXEvHAR #GallagherPremFinal
https://t.co/g7JgNmGmgQ— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) June 23, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
It was a pleasure to watch those guys playing with such confidence. That trio can all be infuriating for different reasons and I can see why Jones might have decided against them. No way to justify leaving Ikitau out though. Jorgensen and him were both scheduled to return at the same time. Only one of them plays for Randwick and has a dad who is great mates with the national coach though.
53 Go to commentsBrayden Iose and Peter Lakai are very exciting Super Rugby players but are too short and too light to ever be a Test 8 vs South Africa, France, Ireland, and England, Lakai could potentially be a Test player at 7 if he is allowed to focus on 7 for Hurricanes.
5 Go to commentsPencils “Thomas du Toit” into possible 2027 Bok squad.
1 Go to commentsDon’t see why Harrison makes the bench. Jones can play at 10 if needed, and there is a good case for starting her there to begin with if testing combinations. That would leave room for Sing on the bench
1 Go to commentsWhat a load of old bull!
1 Go to commentsOf 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.
29 Go to commentsIrish Rugby CEO be texting Andy Farrell “Andy, i found our next Kiwi Irishman”
5 Go to commentsI certainly don’t miss drinking beers at 8am in the morning watching rugby games being played in NZ.
1 Go to commentsThis looks like a damage limitation exercise for Wales, keeping back some of their more effective players for the last 20/25 minutes to try and counter England’s fresh legs so the Red Roses don’t rack up a big score.
1 Go to commentsVery unlikely the Bulls will beat Leinster in Dublin. It would be different in Pretoria.
1 Go to commentsI think it is a dangerous path to go down to ban a player for the same period that a player they injured takes to recover. Players would be afraid to tackle anyone. I once tackled my best friend at school in a practice match and sprained his ankle. I paid for it by having to play fly-half instead of full-back for the rest of that season’s fixtures.
5 Go to commentsJust such a genuine good bloke…and probably the best all round player in his generation. Good guys do come first sometimes and he handled the W.Cup loss with great attitude.
2 Go to commentsWord in France is that he’s on the radar of a few Top14 clubs.
5 Go to commentsGet blocking Travis, this guy has styles and he’s gonna make a swift impact…!
1 Go to commentsWhat remorse? She claimed that her dangerous tackle wasn’t worthy of a red! She should be compensating the injured player for loss of earnings at the minimum. Her ban should include the recovery time of the injured player as well as the paltry 3 match ban.
5 Go to commentsArdie is a legend. Finished and klaar. Two things: “Yeah, yeah, I have had a few conversations with Razor just around feedback on my game and what I am doing well, what I need to improve on or work-ons. It’s kind of been minimal, mate, but it’s all that I need over here in terms of how to be better, how to get better and what I am doing well.” I hope he’s downplaying it - and that it’s not that “minimal”. The amount of communication and behind the scenes preparation the Bok coaches put into players - Rassie and co would be all over Ardie and being clear on what is expected of him. This stands out for me as something teams should really be looking at in terms of the boks success from a coaching point of view. And was surprised by the comment - “minimal”. In terms of the “debate” around Ireland and South Africa. Nice one Ardie. Indeed. There’s no debate.
2 Go to commentsThere’s a bit of depth there but realistically Australian players have a long way to go to now catch up. The game is moving on fast and Australia are falling behind. Australian sides still don’t priories the breakdown like they should, it’s a non-negotiable if you want to compete on the international stage. That goes for forwards and backs. The Australian team could have a back row that could make a difference but the problem is they don’t have a tight five that can do the business. Tupou is limited in defence, overweight and unfit and the locks are a long way from international standard. Frost is soft and Salakai-Loto is too small so that means they need a Valentini at 8 who has to do the hard graft so limits the effectiveness of the backrow. Schmidt really needs to get a hard working, tough tight 5 if he wants to get this team firing.
3 Go to commentsSorry Morgan you must have been the “go to for a quote” ex player this week. Its rnd 6 and there is plenty of time to cement a starting 15 and finishing 8 so I have no such concerns.
2 Go to commentsGreat read. I wish you had done this article on the ROAR.
2 Go to commentsThe current AB coaching team is basically the Crusaders so it smacks of wanting their familiar leaders around. This is not a good look for the future of the ABs or the younger players in Super working their way up the player ladder. Razor is touted as innovative, forward looking but his early moves look like insecurity and insular, provincial thinking. He is the AB's coach not the Golden Oldies.
10 Go to comments