Borders rugby hero Stuart Hogg tells of disappointment at losing Scotland captaincy

The 30-year-old had been skipper of the national side since the start of 2020, going on to lead his country 21 times, but has been replaced by Edinburgh flanker Jamie Ritchie for the Scots’ upcoming autumn tests at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium, as reported in this week’s Southern.

Hogg says he’s disappointed to be stripped of the captaincy by head coach Gregor Townsend but will be giving Ritchie, 26, his full backing and will seek to do his best at full-back free of the leadership responsibilities he inherited from fellow Borderer Greig Laidlaw.

“I’m naturally disappointed about not being captain,” he said in an Instagram post.

“It’s been a huge honour leading my country and an integral part of my life.

“Some of my favourite wins in a Scotland jersey came during that time.

“It won’t impact how I approach the game. I’ll always try my best to lead through my actions.

“Congratulations to Jamie Ritchie on the captaincy. He’s been a stand-out player for us and will have my full support.”Ex-Gala and Border Reivers star Townsend says he hopes that ending the three-time British and Irish Lion’s term as captain will help get the best out of him as a player, citing England cricketer Joe Root as an example of that, ahead of next year’s Six Nations and Rugby World Cup.

“We see how passionate he is for Scotland. We want to keep that. We want to get the best out of him with where he is physically,” said the 49-year-old, Scottish head coach since May 2017.

“There’s a load on you. Stuart played the most minutes out of any rugby player in Europe last year on the back of the Lions tour. A lot of that is physical stress but if you’re adding other things as well, it is a burden.

“Stuart would never say it was a burden, but that is what, as a coach, you have to weigh up.

“Let’s focus on you being the best player you can be. You can lead the team in many other ways – by how you play, how you contribute.

“We believe Jamie can be a very good captain for us too, but that’s linked to Stuart being the best player he can be and Jamie getting support from the other captains in the squad, Grant Gilchrist and Hamish Watson.

“Captaincy is not just down to one man – it’s down to as many as you can produce in a team, and we are producing more leaders now.”

Gilchrist and Watson both captained Scotland during their summer test series in Argentina, a tour both Hogg and Ritchie missed out on, the former being rested and the latter with a hamstring injury.

“It can be tough being Scotland captain, an international captain,” added Townsend.

“Joe Root has talked about how not being captain freed him up to play his best cricket.

“There are real positives about being Scotland captain that can bring out the best in you, and that’s happened to Stuart on a number of occasions – you know how proud he is to lead out his country – but there can be difficult times.

“It’s to bring the best out of Stuart and see what happens with him.

“We wanted to see Jamie in the leadership role. Stuart did a very good job prior to that.

“The opportunity would have come around in the summer, but Jamie wasn’t fit. It’s great that Edinburgh have appointed him as captain this year, so we feel the opportunity is right for Jamie.

“Captaincy can be tough. There are a lot of things to look after and look out for that have to be managed during the week.

“Stuart’s done a very good job at that. I feel that Stuart can be our best player and has been on a number of occasions. This will, I believe, give him the opportunity to do that more often.”

Exeter Chiefs star Hogg will miss the Scots’ opening autumn test against Australia on Saturday, October 29, as it falls outwith the international window so Townsend will have to field a side comprising only home-based players. He is expected to feature in their games against Fiji, New Zealand and Argentina in November, however.

Currently on 93 caps, he is one of three Borderers in Townsend’s 40-man squad for the test series, along with fellow ex-Hawick players Darcy Graham and Rory Sutherland.

Edinburgh winger Graham, 25, is on 29 caps and Ulster loosehead prop Sutherland, 30, on 20.

They’re joined by ex-Melrose men Jamie Bhatti, Damien Hoyland and Rufus McLean, on 22, four and three caps respectively, along with former Scotland captain Bryan Redpath’s son Cameron.

Hogg is now tied with Redpath senior, 51, in the list of players to have notched up most appearances as Scotland captain, both being on 21.

Only Jedburgh’s Laidlaw, 37, on 40 occasions, and Buckinghamshire-born David Sole, 60, on 25, have skippered Scotland more often.