Hogg picks up injury in 100th Test match

By Mark Stevens
12/3/23

Scotland will have to assess the fitness of three of their key stars ahead of next week’s final Guinness Six Nations Championship clash against Italy.

All three were forced off during their side’s 22-7 loss to Ireland, who remain on course for the Grand Slam.

Gray (rib), Hogg (ankle) and Russell (knee) will all be assessed in the coming days by head coach Gregor Townsend, who was left to bemoan Scotland’s second half performance.

Townsend’s side had led 7-3 at the midway point of the first half, courtesy of Huw Jones scoring his fourth try of the tournament, but Ireland responded with a score form Mack Hansen and were 8-7 at the break, before they took control in the second half with tries from James Lowe and Jack Conan.

“I am very disappointed with that second half,” said Townsend. “The first half was a very good Test match that went end to end. I felt we were on it. The players were a bit deflated that they were not leading at half time but that happens. We managed to stop Ireland scoring a couple of times in the first half and a couple of times they stopped us.

“It is just disappointing that the second half was not as competitive or with the same energy level from us and Ireland got ahead. We chased the game, maybe we had to, maybe it was too early to chase the game, but we were not happy with that last 15 minutes of our performance.”

Scotland lost Richie Gray after only six minutes, the second row seeming to suffer a popped rib. Hogg, playing his 100th game for Scotland, went off after 64 minutes after injuring his ankle, and Russell limped off near the end.

The visitors also suffered losing both their hookers, Dan Sheehan and Ronan Kelleher. Cian Healy, a third prop, filled in at the scrums, and flanker Josh van der Flier had to throw in at the line-outs. Townsend felt Scotland failed to capitalise on it.

“That was a missed opportunity, we did not put more pressure on a less traditional thrower,” he said. “I felt the whole of the second half we were not at the level we had been in the first half. It was disappointing in defence, it was disappointing in attack and we were passive at times and we lost the contact in the second half.

“We had been so good in the contact in the first half. I do feel that the first half was such a high level of pace and energy that both teams were not replicating that at the beginning of the second half. Ireland got confidence from going ahead and we started forcing things. We were a lot poorer in that last quarter in particular.”