Hogg wins cup but not player award

Scotland rugby captain Stuart Hogg narrowly missed out on a top playing award – as his club became champions of Europe.
Stuart Hogg (library image by Brian Sutherland)Stuart Hogg (library image by Brian Sutherland)
Stuart Hogg (library image by Brian Sutherland)

The ex-Hawick ace and his Scotland teammate Finn Russell, both named in Gregor Townsend’s squad for their autumn internationals, were on a shortlist of five for the title of European Professional Club Rugby player of the year.

They were on opposing sides at Ashton Gate in Bristol on Saturday for the Heineken Champions Cup Final between Hogg’s new club, Exeter Chiefs, and Russell’s side, France’s Racing 92, with the Devon side winning 31-27.

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Hogg had a quieter game than his international stand-off colleague, but both Scots were beaten to the player accolade by Hogg’s Exeter clubmate Sam Simmonds.

The Scottish pair are awaiting news of ex-Gala ace Townsend’s selections for tomorrow’s warm-up game between Scotland and Georgia at Murrayfield in Edinburgh.

 Three well-known regular Borders players are back in the squad for Scotland Women’s Six Nations match against France this Sunday.

Interim Scotland Women head coach Bryan Easson has named Hawick pair Lisa Thomson and Lana Skeldon, along with Jedburgh’s Chloe Rollie, in a 25-player squad.

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The rescheduled match is at Scotstoun, kicking off at 2.20pm and live on BBC Alba.

Easson said: “Selection has been tough but it’s a credit to the players who have all worked incredibly hard over the past few weeks.

“The last time we played was back in February against England, so this fixture is important for us to see where we currently are as a squad.

“The players have been training with real purpose at our recent weekend camps and are all ready to push themselves against France.

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“We are all working towards the collective goal of World Cup qualification and these rescheduled Six Nations fixtures provide the perfect opportunity to test ourselves against some tough opponents.”

Scotland fans will be able to watch all of the rescheduled Six Nations fixtures live on BBC ALBA.

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