Scotland assistant coach Mike Blair believes captain Stuart Hogg has returned ready and refreshed after the rest week and backs him to bring his club form onto the international stage.
Hogg played for Exeter Chiefs last weekend and scored a second-half try as they overcame semi-final chasers Gloucester 26-15 at Kingsholm to remain top of the Premiership.
The newly named skipper has been in the spotlight at the start of the Guinness Six Nations after a couple of high-profile errors which have come back to haunt his side, but Blair believes the week away has been the perfect tonic for the 27-year-old.
“I think Stuart has played really well in the games. He has had a couple of unfortunate bits, particularly against Ireland with the try,” Blair said.
“Against England, I don’t think there was a huge amount he could have done in the build-up to their try, because the ball just wouldn’t stop for him. So he had to make a decision on it and we could have defended better in other phases.
“But it was great to see Stuart scoring a try for Exeter – he made sure he had two hands on it when he touched down and made sure afterwards again.
“The group around him have helped a lot as well so he can just concentrate on playing and coming in and saying bits and bobs, creating the environment that he wants. We are really happy with how he has been leading the team.”
Hogg took the captain’s role from Stuart McInally after Scotland’s exit at the 2019 World Cup and is still looking for his first win after defeats to Ireland and England.
This weekend sees them travel to Rome to take on Italy, and Blair believes Hogg’s returning confidence could make all the difference, with both sides looking for their first win of the Championship.
“He’s a confident guy and he is playing well at the moment, so we expect to see that against Italy as well,” Blair said.
“I think it’s a must-win, we have shown some positives in the first two games but it’s not about how you play, it’s winning games.
“We have shown improvement but we need to get over the line and put some pressure on a really good Italian team.”
