Stuart Hogg challenges Scotland to play biggest game of their lives

Stuart Hogg says Scotland must be ready to play their biggest game of their lives as they bid to reach the last eight of the World Cup.

Gregor Townsend’s team are due to take on Japan in Yokohama on Sunday and a win of at least eight points will take them through to quarter-finals.

Typhoon Hagibis could yet throw a spanner in the works and blow the Dark Blues out of the tournament if World Rugby deems the match is not safe to play and rule it a draw.

But Hogg is preparing as if the match will kick-off as planned at the 70,000-seater International Stadium and wants his side to grasp the enormity of the occasion.

“I think making it to the quarters would definitely be up there with the biggest things I’ve done so far,” declared Scotland’s star fullback.

Continue reading below...

“We’ve been in since the start of June working incredibly hard to get to where we want to be and come Sunday we’ve got a chance to let loose and get to a quarter-final.

“For myself and a lot of the boys this could be the biggest game of our careers and one we’re very much looking forward to getting stuck into.

“It’s a huge test match for us but the majority of the squad have played in big games. There are a lot of boys with experience.

“It’s going to be a hell of a ding-dong battle.”

Scotland got off to a dismal start as they slumped to Ireland in their Pool A opener.

But this weekend they return to the same venue that pasting from Joe Schmidt’s men took place in having claimed back-to-back bonus point wins without conceding a single score against Samoa and Russia.

Now Hogg has urged his side to maintain their recent standards and not slip back to the sloppy ways that hurt them last time out in Yokohama.

“For us as professional players we have to be on the money at every single opportunity,” said the British and Irish Lion. “We made it difficult with the way we started this tournament.