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
NZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
22 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
22 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
22 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
22 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
22 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
22 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
90 Go to comments