Stuart Hogg made a try-scoring return for Exeter Chiefs as Rob Baxter hailed the Scotland captain after a “pretty flawless” performance against Gloucester Rugby.
The 27-year-old gave the Devon side a welcome boost by offering his services on the Guinness Six Nations rest weekend after back-to-back defeats to Ireland and England.
And he showed no sign of tiredness as he started and finished the move for Chiefs’ second try after picking the ball up in his own 22 before trading passes with Sam Simmonds to score.
But while Hogg’s start to life as Scotland captain has not gone to plan, Exeter director of rugby Baxter insisted he did not need to do anything to inspire the full-back ahead of the 26-15 win.
“I didn’t have to say anything to motivate Stuart,” Baxter said. “He was pretty flawless out there. He had one opportunity and he took it, which shows he is a quality player.
“He dealt the killer blow and that will give him confidence heading into the next rounds of the Six Nations. It will be fantastic for Hoggy to have a picture in the papers of him touching down.”
Hogg was not the only international on show on Friday night as Italy forward Jake Polledri and Wales winger Louis Rees-Zammit scored for Gloucester on their return to league action.
