THE PRO14 WILL be a little poorer next season, for tomorrow’s Grand Final at Celtic Park will be the chance for a few stellar talents to grace the competition.
Sean O’Brien did not get the chance to bid farewell to the RDS with a semi-final victory last weekend, and may not feature this weekend, but Stuart Hogg helped creating a fitting final run at Scotstoun as Glasgow ran riot against Ulster.
Celtic Park will be a final bow for Hogg. Clearly, that ground carries a weight of significance for all involved with sport in Scotland, but Hogg grew up a Hibernian fan, so it’s neither a Mecca nor the Death Star.
“Terrific stadium and the boys are very much looking forward to playing on it. Hopefully there is a big crowd to cheer us on,” says the electric fullback.
“We have a final on our home turf, you could say, in Glasgow, in Scotland – which will be massive for us and hopefully we can feed off the crowd.”
It’s an exciting venue for Hogg to mark his last game as a Warrior before he becomes a Chief, and he has an opportunity leave a legacy in Glasgow if they can secure a second title in four years. But the steps towards that goal are all he can concentrate on for the time-being.
“For me it’s all about doing my job for the team and making sure that we give ourselves the best opportunity to lift a trophy.
“If I am going out there and expressing myself, having some fun and having a smile on my face then it means that things are going quite well for us. It will be my last game for Glasgow, but I will worry about that after the game; hopefully when we have a trophy in our hands.”
Like most athletes in team sports who get a chance to look back. The stand-out memories for Hogg do not consist of single moments or special tries. The first image he conjures from his internal highlight reel is the first professional contract he was awarded in 2010 – “something I dreamed of since I was a kid”.
He was part of Gregor Townsend’s brilliant title-winning team in 2015, but he counts that entire season as a highlight. A nine-month-long exorcism for the pain of losing to Leinster in May 2014.
“I think there was a great buzz around. The fact that we got to the final the year before and came up short, we wanted to go one better and we targeted being the first Scottish team to win the Pro12.
“There was some great satisfaction that we had done everything right throughout the whole season and when it came to the play-offs we stepped up another gear. The last three games of the season we had Ulster at home and needed a bonus point victory to have a home semi-final. We did that.
“We played Ulster the following week back here and scored in the last five minutes to win the game. Finn Russell kicked a touchline conversion. Then going on to smash Munster in the final, that was… that month as well as that season was probably my favourite season as a rugby player.”
Their run-in didn’t quite have the drama or Finn Russell this time around, but a trophy would allow this campaign to challenge for the peak of Hogg’s fond memory chart. Doing that will require more than the home advantage promised by 42,000 (and rising) tickets sold for Celtic Park. Glasgow have proven themselves to be an irresistible force through Dave Rennie’s two years in charge at Scotstoun.
Unfortunately, they have often found themselves frustrated by immovable objects.
Last year, they were pitted against eventual European champions Leinster in the Champions Cup pool stages and were subjected to a lesson home and away. This season, the lessons and champs-in-waiting kept coming as they took on Saracens three times. Answer continually came from the English side for all the questions the Warriors’ varied attack posed.
Since exiting Europe at the quarter-final stage, the Scottish side have hit their straps in impressive style and the hosts of this weekend’s final hope to show all the lessons put to use.
“If you give a team like Saracens time and space they are going to hurt you. If you give a team like Leinster time and space they are going to hurt you,” says Hogg.
“We quickly realised how tough it was going to be on the run-in to get ourselves in a position to qualify for play-offs and then get a home semi-final. We knew that we had to have a real clinical edge in our game; that on the back of our solid defence, we really fronted up, our decision-making at the breakdown has been a lot better.
“Our decision-making in attack, we have had that clinical edge, but we have taken the right options.”
There have been a couple of times when things have not gone quite right at training and in games and we have just reflected back on that Saracens game…. when things aren’t quite going to plan we always think back to that game; it refocuses us and gets us back on the right track. We are better because of that game.”
“We have played right on top of teams. We are finding the balance with our kicking game and I think Adam (Hastings), George (Horne) and Ali (Price), Pete Horne, they have put us in the right areas over the last few weeks and it has been a lot tougher for teams to exit.
“We have found ourselves with a good amount of ball but in the right areas of the field. We have kept that scoreboard ticking over nicely and scored some nice tries along the way.”
“I think we have had some good ding-dong battles with Leinster over the years. At times in big games we came up short.
“They came across here last season in the second game of the Champions Cup and bullied us. It was a smash and grab job from them and they took home the victory. It’s going to be a hugely physical battle up front.
“Defensively we are going to have to be spot on, try and keep their key players out of the game as much as we possibly can and make the most of the opportunities we get with the ball. There might be only five or six but we have to make sure we are making the most of it.”
It’s a message Hogg hardly needs reminding of, with only 80 minutes left to run on his time as a Glasgow Warrior.
”I am just concentrating on my job for the team and making sure that we have the opportunity to take home the Pro 14 trophy. It’s been a target all season.
“For me it is just about going out there having some fun and doing my job for the team.”
Subscribe to our new podcast, The42 Rugby Weekly, here:
You’ve fired a guy for having an opinion. How’s that exactly inclusive?
@Nathan Mawhinney: He should have just said ‘sodomites’ instead and saved everyone the trouble.
toxic rating: 4.4/10
@Nathan Mawhinney: Nathan, you’ve commented on every single Israel Folau article the past week. Same rhetoric today and it’ll be the same tomorrow. We know how you feel. Move on.
@Mike: you are incorrect sir, commented on many but not all. Thankfully there isn’t a restriction.
@Nathan Mawhinney: nah they’ve fired him for posting his discriminatory opinions all over social media after multiple warnings. Genuine question Nathan, if an athlete came out and tweeted that black people are going to hell, would you be defending him then?
@Laura Walsh: to make it more applicable to myself and he was to say white men were going to hell I’d think he was crazy. Why get triggered especially if you don’t believe in hell? He’s never screamed these words at anyone, he posted them on social media.
@Nathan Mawhinney: he was sacked for a breach of conduct but you know that already. You just like playing this up as a freedom of speech/ snow flake issue, which you know it isn’t, to get your reaction.
He’s not been arrested. His tweet/ post are still up. His freedom to speak his mind has not been impeded.
He’s been sacked because his comments do not reflect the views of his employers and he had specifically agreed to follow their line in order to receive a new contract.
Then again you know all of that.
@Nathan Mawhinney: why is religion an acceptable excuse to publicly make a negative statement about an entire group of people based on their sexual orientation? This waffle some people are spouting about him trying to save people is missing the point, he is tarring homosexuality as a negative thing no matter what way you look at it. This helps forms the foundation of negativity towards gay people that we are working so hard to get rid of. We as a society decide what is acceptable as we have done/continue to do for sexism, racism etc. This is no different, hiding behind religion is only an excuse to stick your head in the sand and avoid addressing the real issue here. Discuss the point on its merits, not what book it was written in a long time ago.
@Nathan Mawhinney: Not exactly, almost a year ago to the day, he posted something very similar to the post he was recently fired for, on that occasion he was warned. He subsequently went on to sign a new contract just 2 months ago, you can be damn sure there were stipulations attached to the most recent deal in light of his previous comments. He was under no obligation whatsoever to sign that deal if he wasn’t comfortable doing so. He could have easily retired there and then and gone on to preach whatever he wants. Stop making him out to be some kind of victim here, he was well aware of what would happen, and did it anyway, his views are completely at odds with ARU policies and those of ARU sponsors too, they had no option but to fire him.
@George Can’t-Stand-Ya: I never labeled anyone a snowflake, completely understand where people are coming from especially if he signed a contract about this stuff. Just think the world now attacks people for the words they say, even if they aren’t harming anyone.
@Nathan Mawhinney: Any clown/troll can post racist comments online. But if you represent in sports a country where homosexuality is legally accepted, then you have a massive responsibility and duty to conduct yourself in a way that will never cause any pain or possibly even suicidal thoughts in members of the public. If he wants to make endless childish hateful neanderthal remarks then there are countries he can move that not too many people desire to live in where this type of carry-on is accepted.
@Nathan Mawhinney: give it up. Now you’re just willfully ignorant and that’s far worse than just being dumb.
@Nathan Mawhinney: how could the sport be inclusive if we allowed players to discriminate against people based on sexual orientation? By your logic it was wrong to ban South Africa during the apartheid era
@Sean Mannion: so he shouldn’t take up employment if his religious beliefs don’t correspond with those of the company he is looking to join? Hiw does that work for Muslim people working for western companies?
@Rudiger McMonihan: Folau is not and has not discriminated against anyone, he’s on record as saying he is not homophobic and went as far as to be on the cover of a magazine promoting a gay rugby tournament. What he did was re-state what is written in the scriptures of his religion in an effort to save the so called sinners. He has gay family members who he equally wants to save.
@Dino Baggio: he publicly admitted thst he and his god see gay people as lesser. He/his faith picks and chooses what they want to believe from the Bible even though they believe it’s without error.
@Dave O Keeffe: where did he say he and his god see gay people as “lesser” ? He said all sinners must repent or burn in hell which is pretty much how all religions see sinners. Unless these views are made illegal he should be allowed air then in public without fear of persecution.
I think politics and religion should be kept out fo sport… but if Israel falou can’t express his religious beliefs equally we shouldn’t be subjected to lectures on equality, diversity and political correctness.. including from the42!
@Padjo Mulk: agreed
@Padj
Lets jut get to the sacking of this employee of the Austrian RFU ::
Last year he signed a contract saying he will not do the same thing again but recently he broke that contract and he was fired .
SIMPLE
@Padjo Mulk: You’re completely missing the point Padjo. You have to abide by the laws of the country you live in even if your beliefs don’t agree with them. I suggest that if he wants to live in a country where people hate gays then he should move to Bangladesh or Pakistan.
@Padjo Mulk: but he can. Just as equally as his employers can show how they feel by not paying him anymore.
@Frantic Pigeon: I hope people who are similarly intolerant to people’s religious beliefs are subject to the same punishment…but I doubt it.
@Padjo Mulk: @Brysonpieters: He’s entitled to his chosen beliefs, that’s all they are, but he’s not entitled to dish out out hateful bullshit against minorities of people who have no control of an aspect of their being, such as their sexual orientation or skin colour. That kinda shite legitimises discrimination
We are constantly being told that Rugby is “inclusive”. Well it wasn’t when I was regularly mocked for being a Christian and was never selected again for my club U20s team after I spoke to the coach about him using the name of Jesus as a swear word. It isn’t inclusive when Stuart Barnes is happy to put these “inclusive” words in print: “Always loathed the way those Islanders formed a circle post-match their praises to what I regard as a fabrication.’” His article in The Times goes a lot further. So please, stop telling us rugby is inclusive. It isn’t.
@AndrewHeather Lytle: I’ll take “shit that never happened” for 400 please Alex.
@Frantic Pigeon: What do you have difficulty believing? You don’t think that a young Christian was given a hard time in a rugby team? You don’t think that a young Christian would care enough about the name of Jesus to ask his coach to stop using it as a swear word? You don’t think that a coach could hold a grudge against a player? Or perhaps you don’t believe that Stuart Barnes could come out with racist anti-Christian abuse. Simon and Garfunkel were right: A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest.
@AndrewHeather Lytle: Christians are not a race.
@John Ezekiel W. Minnock: Indeed not. When I said “racist” I was referring to Barnes’ comment about the “islanders”.
It’s hilarious how many people are defending a man who was fired for braking a contract that he agreed to after multiple warnings.
He broke his own rules by lying when he agreed to that contract. He also claims to be against coveting money, yet negotiated the highest paid contract in Australia. Another thing he argues is that people must be humble, yet he has his own flippin name tattood on his chest, which is perhaps the most prideful and arrogant thing someone can do.
He’s simply a hypocrite that uses religion as an excuse to discriminate against gay people.
@Rudiger McMonihan: He isn’t being fired for practicing religion. There are plenty of very religious people playing the sport. He’s being fired for spreading hatred against a minority group, that are already discriminated against by others. Rugby fans can’t claim to tolerate different races, genders and sexualities and then allow our highest profile athletes to spread hatred against them. The ARU are just firing a bully who has been given numerous opportunities to stop.
@Rudiger McMonihan: Spot on in all regards.
@Rudiger McMonihan: Nail on the head. There are several examples of very religious men who have represented Ireland at rugby and possibly share Folau’s views but have not felt the need to pontificate about it in public. That’s the key difference.
@Rudiger McMonihan: he didn’t spread any hatred, he simply restated the beliefs of his religion in public in an effort to save sinners. It is an act of almost ultimate love, not quite laying down his life to save sinners but sacrificing his career.
@Dino Baggio: there is an obvious parallel between Folau and the god whose faith he follows
Properly sick and tired of this story now. Just fire him and be done with it. Jeez.
Moral of the story is that if you’re a gay man who has cheated in the past and enjoys a pint then the chances are you and Izzy won’t be besties. In a dressing room with 22 men this won’t win you friends and as someone who would both very well paid and a senior squad member he should have considered this before logging into his Instagram.
“And out come the wolves”
If we don’t agree with free speach for those we despise, we dont agree with it all
Mr C
Bullshit Gordan Darcy how does a player with religious beliefs fit in to a dressing room if he has to keep these beliefs lets say in the closet# inclusitivity my arse# sounds more like Communism
@Brysonpieters: so he should keep it himself. Can’t imagine a team on earth that would benefit from a guy telling everyone they are all going to hell. As for communist, I’m pretty sure Falou has more in common with Stalin being as he used to send homosexuals to the gulag. Communism’s answer to hell.
@Patrick W-Healy: Dont think you know what Communism is u clown
@Brysonpieters: this should be good lol. Explain how penalising people telling others they are going to hell is communist. I suppose rte should allow Isis to broadcast their recruitment videos after the news so as not to discriminate against their religious beliefs.
@Brysonpieters: sounds like communism if you have no clue what communism is.
@Brysonpieters: You clearly don’t know what communism or inclusivity are. He’s entitled to his chosen beliefs, that’s all they are, but he’s not entitled to dish out out hateful bullshit against minorities of people who have no control of an aspect of their being, such as their sexual orientation or skin colour
Darcy is a clown.
Let’s be inclusive but exclude those guys because I don’t agree with them.
Muppet.
If Rory McIlroy came out on twitter today saying he’s joined a new religion where they have sex with dead bodies and that everyone should do it as it’s really good fun then he’d be in big trouble…. Why? Because he would be recommending something that is illegal. In the same way promoting racial hatred is illegal in Ireland and Australia.
This has nothing to do with free speech people. This is breaking the law. Free speech is when you share an opinion on twitter that is not breaking the law such as ‘Donald Trump is such an annoying man-baby. I wish Clinton had won the election’
Go and live in countries where it’s legal to insult gay people if you feel a need to do this.
@Stanley Baggins: if he did something illegal why has he not been arrested and charged?
Ah Folau, what a lunatic, they even dregged up Auld Darcy on the first day of his new job guiding tours at the Aviva.
@thesaltyurchin:
A classic thesaltyurchin post !!!
Anyone see his Instagram post?