Injury forces Borderer Stuart Hogg to wait for 101st Scotland rugby cap after hitting century mark

Hogg got his 100th cap against Ireland on Sunday and was presented with a commemorative match-day jersey beforehand by fellow centurions Ross Ford, Chris Paterson and Sean Lamont.

The 30-year-old is now just a handful of games away from overtaking Lamont’s haul of 105 caps between 2004 and 2017, and isn’t far off Paterson’s 109 from 1999 to 2011 and Ford’s 110 between 2004 and 2019 – the current record – either, and all three are backing him to go on and do so.

Kelso’s Ford, 38, said: “When Stuart joined the squad as a young player, he was just full of energy and was buzzing about the place. It was quite refreshing for us older guys.

“You could see straight away that he was going to be some player. There was excitement whenever he got on the ball and he always wanted to take people on and cause defenders headaches.

“He brought something different to the party on and off the field, and it really was a breath of fresh air.

“When he beat a man in those early days, things would open up for the team, and since I have stopped playing, that has continued and he is now part of a very exciting back-line.

“His rugby knowledge, even at a young age, was excellent.

“It was a pleasure to be his team-mate over the years and he has worked hard for everything that’s come his way. Scottish supporters know how much he’s given to the cause.”

Gala’s Paterson, 44, said: “I am just really pleased for Stuart that he has got to this point because, from an early age, it was clear to see that he was the kind of player who would excite supporters and his work ethic really is second to none.

“When he is on top of his game, there are few players more pleasing on the eye to watch in attack, and his hunger and desire to always do well for Scotland is there for all to see.

“Sometimes over the years he has been hard on himself, but that is just because he has high standards, and when he is feeling good and playing at tempo, he always causes defences problems.

“Reaching 100 caps is a proud moment for him and his family, and he’s an amazing talent who still has a lot to give at the top level.”

Perth-born Lamont, 42, added: “He is so fiercely Scottish, fiercely competitive and he just loves rugby. He has always been looking to get better and find that edge. He eats, sleeps and breathes the game.

“Stuart is one of the most driven guys I know, and to be at the top of the game for 11 years now deserves real credit.

“There is no doubt in my mind that he can go on for a while yet after this appearance and become Scotland’s record cap-holder of all time.”

Exeter Chiefs full-back Hogg, also Scotland’s record try-scorer, with 27, hadn’t always aspired to hit treble figures for international apearances, though, and for years after getting his first cap in 2012 he’d have been happy with just over half that.

“When you get one cap, you want two, and then three and so forth, but when I started playing regular rugby all I wanted was 53,” he explained.

“People used to ask me ‘why the hell do you want 53?’ and it was because that would make me the most-capped Hawick player, overtaking Tony Stanger, Colin Deans and Jim Renwick. These little things start to play on your mind a little bit.

“The game is ever-changing. It took Jim 13 years to get 52 caps. The game is completely different to what it was back then.

“For me, every opportunity you get to represent your country, there’s no better feeling. It’s a feeling that I love and I’ll miss when I’m done, and it’s a feeling right now that I’ll never ever take for granted.

“This jersey and this country mean the world to me, and I’ll do everything I can to make sure I represent it in the best way.”

Sunday’s 22-7 defeat at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium might not have gone the way Hogg would have wanted as he had to go off with an ankle injury, ruling him out of this coming Saturday’s concluding Six Nations fixture against Italy, also in the capital, with kick-off at 12.30pm, but it was still a memorable occasion for him and his family, according to his dad, Hawick director of rugby John Hogg.

“It was a wonderful occasion for Stuart,” he said. “To get to 100 caps in any sport is a huge achievement, and we know how much work he’s put in and how much work other people have put in to get there.

“We thoroughly enjoyed the whole occasion and we’re really chuffed for him.”