Hawick’s Stuart Hogg says he’s living the dream with British and Irish Lions after fearing it’d be third time unlucky

Stuart Hogg playing for the British and Irish Lions against South Africa during their first test match of this tour on Saturday, July 24, in Cape Town (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

The 29-year-old, now on his third tour, had no expectations of a test call-up first time round in 2013 in Australia but had been hoping to make that breakthrough in New Zealand in 2017 only to end up going home early injured.

Once again this time round, he’d been hoping for a test call-up upon arriving in South Africa but feared luck was against him again after being ordered to isolate for seven days early on due to being deemed a close contact of a fellow touring party member testing positive for coronavirus.

“I was really frustrated. I was really down because I felt that was my time gone,” he told Sky Sports.

“To have been involved in three tours and to not be in a position to get a test match, I was starting to really get quite nervous.

"After going through the disappointment of 2017, I really, really wanted a test match. I really wanted to be involved in the big games because I’d been on two tours and I’d played in the games leading up to the test matches, but if we’re being brutally honest, nobody remembers those games.”

Happily those fears proved groundless and Hogg says he’s now living the dream after being picked to start last Saturday’s 22-17 victory and the follow-up test taking place this coming Saturday, July 31, at 5pm.

“It’s all about the three games at the end, the three test matches, and to have not had that taste of it was something that really hurt me for a long time and I wanted to be here so badly, and now I’ve been given the opportunity, it means the world to me and I’m ready to make the most of it. I’m excited to make the most of it,” he said.

“For me as a kid, all I wanted to do was play for Hawick play for Scotland and to represent the Lions, and never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d have the opportunity to do that, but there was a kid that had a dream and now I’m living the dream, and it’s the best feeling in the world.”