Scotland v Wales: Stuart Hogg urges Scots to build on Twickenham win as he plays down title chances

Stuart Hogg has played down talk of Scotland as Six Nations title challengers as he urged the team to build on last week’s stunning win over England.

Captain Stuart Hogg with head coach Gregor Townsend during the Scotland team run at BT Murrayfield ahead of the Wales match. Picture: Craig Williamson/SNS

Wales are up next at BT Murrayfield and the full-back knows a victory today will firmly establish the side’s credentials as Triple Crown candidates at the very least.

Hogg took a moment at full-time to savour the win at Twickenham but he explained that the team turned their attention to the Wales match almost immediately.

“Like the rest of the boys we were delighted with the win,” the captain said of the Calcutta Cup victory, Scotland’s first at Twickenham for 38 years.

“We had worked terribly hard to get that result and I was trying my best to take in every moment of it. It is a feeling that will never leave us but it is something we want week-on-week and something we can do.

“It lasted 24 hours before we got back on the training field and started getting ready for this job. We have talked a lot about how great it would be to back that up with a cracking performance and another win at Murrayfield. That is the challenge for us and one we believe we are ready for.”

Wales also made a winning start, defeating Ireland 21-16 in Cardiff, but the victory came at a cost and the visitors will be without George North, Josh Adams, Jonathan Davies, Dan Lydiate and Josh Navidi at Murrayfield.

The Scots have their own injuries to contend with and have lost Cam Redpath, Sean Maitland and Jamie Ritchie.

Dating back to last year’s tournament, Scotland have now put together a run of four consecutive wins in the Six Nations. It’s an impressive sequence but Hogg batted away talk of a title.

“Nah look, if we look too far ahead we are going to slip up,” he said. “We have to live in the moment and make sure we get everything right. I am not going to sit here and say we are going to do x, y and z. In reality we have to perform for 80 minutes to be in with a shout of achieving our goal. We are in a good place and ready for it and the boys are excited.”

A message from the Editor:

Get a year of unlimited access to all The Scotsman's sport coverage without the need for a full subscription. Expert analysis of the biggest games, exclusive interviews, live blogs, transfer news and 70 per cent fewer ads on Scotsman.com - all for less than £1 a week. Subscribe to us today