Exeter explain why they pulled unhappy Hogg early last Saturday

Exeter head coach Ali Hepher has explained why Stuart Hogg can be his own worst enemy when it comes to dealing with injuries. The Scotland full-back is preparing for autumn international duty and was an unhappy figure when replaced in last Saturday’s 22-20 Gallagher Premiership home defeat by Saracens.

Although in camp for the early part of this week with Scotland, the player window release regulation governing Test matches that fall outside the agreed November calendar means that the 30-year-old Hogg will return to Exeter ahead of their Friday night match at Gloucester.

It’s the same situation for Jonny Gray, Hogg’s Exeter and Scotland colleague, and it means they won’t be available for Test selection until the November 5 game versus Fiji, which will be followed by games against New Zealand and Argentina.

Hepher explained that last Saturday’s withdrawal of Hogg versus Saracens was related to the series of niggly injuries the player has been coping with and he needed to be managed so that he could link up with Scotland for training at the start of this week.

“Stuart had an HIA early in the Saracens game and then had a bit of pain in his back but by the sounds of things he has passed his tests with Scotland and everything is progressing well,” reported Hepher. “He had a few aches and pains after the game but he is in a good frame of mind. He is a really competitive guy and sometimes you do have to look after players.

“They [Hogg and Gray] want to keep going and that is what makes them the players they are - they sacrifice the hurt and pain. Sometimes you do have to protect them. It is protecting the club’s interests and his international interests.

“The big picture was that the medics were reporting a few niggles and complaints he had and we have Joe Simmonds who has gone well at full-back and we made that change against Saracens.

“Hopefully, we prevented Stuart from doing any more damage to his back. By all accounts, it has worked. He is a competitive fellow and wants to keep battling away. You don’t get to this level unless you are a competitive animal and want to win as many games as possible. We will see where he is later in the week.”

Hepher also paid tribute to the consistently strong performances that Gray has been putting in for Exeter and expects the lock forward to continue that form for Scotland. “Jonny is a vital cog in our team. He is phenomenal and reads the game incredibly well and Scotland are going to benefit. He has taken on the lineout calling this year and is growing in that department.”