The opener-scorer was one of the architects of the MHR feat on Saturday on the Clermont pitch. A success which gave him great emotion.
Author of 17 of his team's 22 points (at 6/7, including two 50-meter penalties), Stuart Hogg made a decisive contribution to the feat of the MHR on the Clermont lawn (18-22), this Saturday in the framework of the 13e Top 14 day.
After this success, the Scottish full-back, converted as a fly-half in Montpellier, presented himself at a press conference for the first time this season. His voice trembling with emotion, the former captain of the Chardon XV (32 years old, 100 caps), who is awaiting the verdict of the Scottish courts on January 9, after pleading guilty to harassment of his ex-wife, is (a little) delivered.
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“I love this team (from Montpellier) ! I had a new life with this team. The guys have been incredibly welcoming. Joan (Caudullo, le manager) and Bernard (Laporte, the sports director) gave me an opportunity. I am incredibly grateful to them.” Last summer, the leaders of the MHR in fact brought him out of retirement, he who had given up the 2023 World Cup and rugby to favor his mental health, the Anglo-Saxon tabloids feasting on his marital setbacks and judicial.
I made a lot of mistakes but I learned from them. Being in Montpellier is an opportunity for me to show who I am.
Stuart Hogg
“I learned a lot from last year. I said my body was the problem. In reality, it was my head. I worked a lot, with a lot of people, to become better. I made a lot of mistakes but I learned from them. Being in Montpellier is an opportunity for me to show who I am. I learned a lot physically, mentally, and emotionally. I was in tears after the match because it meant a lot. I want to be part of a winning team. I say it again, I am very grateful.” And to complete. “I always wanted to play in France. I always wanted to come here. This is one of the reasons I try so hard. I'm really having fun. It’s a new life…”
For his new team, Stuart Hogg even agreed to abandon his number 15 to put on the 10 of the fly half, of the conductor. “I like this position but it’s been a long time since I played there. I do everything I can to help the team. It hasn't been perfect, but it's been a lot of fun. (…) I have always been a little on the limit (against Clermont, Editor’s note). I have to adapt to the French style. I talk too much. I'm passionate, I get carried away sometimes. I need to calm down.”
