'Disappointed' Stuart Hogg breaks silence on losing Scotland captaincy and vows to back Jamie Ritchie

Stuart Hogg has offered his congratulations to Jamie Ritchie, his successor as Scotland captain, while noting his disappointment at losing the role.

Stuart Hogg was relinquished of his Scotland captaincy duties earlier in the week.

Gregor Townsend, the national head coach, announced on Wednesday that Ritchie was to take over from Hogg as skipper and expressed his hope that easing the full-back’s burden would bring out the best in him.

Hogg responded publicly on Thursday night with a post on social media. “Congratulations to Jamie Ritchie on the captaincy, he’s been a stand-out player for us and will have my full support,” he wrote. “I’m naturally disappointed about not being Captain – 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 have come during this time. It won’t impact how I approach the game, I’ll always try my best to lead from my actions.”

Hogg was appointed captain ahead of the 2020 Six Nations and held the post for the best part of three seasons. His final game as skipper was the 2022 Six Nations defeat by Ireland in Dublin in March. Only Greig Laidlaw and David Sole have captained Scotland more often than Hogg.

Townsend, who also dropped Finn Russell when he named his autumn Test squad, said of Hogg: “It can be tough being Scotland captain, an international captain. 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.”