Scotland's Duncan Taylor sends '˜get well' wish to Stuart Hogg

As word filtered through to the Scotland camp that Stuart'¨Hogg had been injured out of the Lions squad, there was a surge of sympathy for the player who has done so much this season to keep Scotland '¨winning.

Duncan Taylor expects Australia to give him a tough examination on Saturday. Picture: David Gibson/Fotosport.

“Everybody is gutted,” said Duncan Taylor, who has taken his slot in the team. “He is a great player; a big loss to the Lions. There are not many players like him in the world but all we can do is wish him all the best for his recovery.

“Every time you see him play you realise how good he is. His footwork, his speed, his ability to see a gap and take it… there aren’t that many players out there as deadly as he is, especially on counter attack.”

Those who know him say he won’t be missed only on the field. With the Lions, building squad unity is vital, and a player with the lighthearted 
charisma of Hogg helps.

“He is a bit of a joker, always cracking gags and always has a smile on his face. He is a very good bloke, a fantastic player and will be sadly missed by the Lions,” Taylor added.

At the moment, Taylor is the beneficiary of Hogg’s absence, being asked to slot in at full-back even though he has played there only occasionally.

This is the mould of the modern breed of back, able to turn his hand to just about any role behind the scrum. Taylor plays most of his rugby at centre, but has also played for Saracens on the wing and showed in last weekend’s victory over 
Italy that he can do a good job at full-back, playing a key “assist” role in two of the tries. For good measure, he also stepped up to convert one score when Finn Russell had to go off for stitches. All of which brought a highly satisfying end to a difficult time, in which he managed just five club games in a year thanks to a succession of injuries as varied as two ankle operations, a shoulder problem, a hamstring and 
concussion.

“It was a very frustrating season, one where I learned a lot about myself,” he admitted. “It made me appreciate that when I do get to train and play there are boys worse off than me. Some of the guys I was in rehab with didn’t get a game all year [eg. Will Fraser or Tim Streather] – we were a little club that got each other through.”

He knows his second international outing at full-back is likely to be a lot tougher than his first. Australia kick a lot but aim to reclaim the ball with the likes of Israel Folau, Taylor’s opposite number, a master of the art.

“I expect them to run quite a bit,” Taylor suggested. “Their first-phase moves are very good and they have very talented individuals. They scored off a couple of crossfield kicks against Fiji last weekend and they have people like Folau, who is really good in the air.

“We need to make sure our defence is spot on, our kick-chase is on the money and that we don’t give them too many opportunities for those crossfield kicks. Their first-phase moves are usually very good, they’ve cut us a few times when they’ve played us. Their forwards are great ball carriers as well.”

That said, Scotland feel they have some wrongs to right against Australia. The last two games have both gone to the wire with the Wallabies snatching a one-point win in the final minutes of both.

Taylor feels the Scots are ready to reverse those infuriating results. “We have been building really well for the last couple of years,” he pointed out. “It’s now about when we start capitalising in games we have been losing by one, two or three points. That’s something we want to do straight away.

“We have worked very hard on what we need to do and we have learned a lot about us as a team and what we have to do to get in positions to win games.

“The experiences we’ve had in the past can maybe help.”

Whatever happens with the result, it is likely to be a moment of history for Scottish rugby, with Ross Ford playing his 109th game and equalling Chris Paterson as the record cap holder. He will probably break the record against Fiji the following week.

For Ford’s Edinburgh colleagues, it is a moment he entirely deserves: “He has been fantastic, especially for Scottish rugby,” said Allan Dell, the prop. “I hope he plays on Saturday and equals the cap record and then goes on to become the most capped player, that will be fantastic for him and his family.

“The last few games, he has been brilliant, running round like somebody younger. He is full of energy and everything so I hope he goes on for many more years to come.”