EDINBURGH skipper Ally Hogg today played down chances of a silverware end to the season when Scottish rugby stages its annual awards dinner tonight at Murrayfield.
Internationalist Hogg is one of six nominees for the Apex Hotels try of the season award, although he could be forgiven for knowing what his contribution to the ceremony is with the citation merely stating Scotland v. Romania.
In fact, Hogg became
the first Scottish forward to notch a hat-trick for 20 years in that World Cup match last September.
"I guess it might be the try where Simon Webster made the break and slipped the ball to Mike Blair leaving me to travel just ten metres over the line, nothing flashy," says Hogg in giving credit to his Capital colleagues.
Other tries nominated are: Heather Lockhart (for Scotland Women v. England Women, Meggetland), Chris Cusiter (Scotland v. Argentina, RWC Quarter-final, Stade de France), Ross Ford (Edinburgh v. Leicester Tigers, Heineken Cup, Murrayfield), Angus Martyn (Boroughmuir v. Glasgow Hawks, Scottish Hydro Electric Premiership, Meggetland) and Phil Godman (Scotland A v. Ireland A, McDiarmid Park, Perth).
For Hogg the try-scoring continued right through to the season's end as Edinburgh finished their Magners Celtic League campaign with a win at Llanelli last Saturday. And, according to Hogg, there was special satisfaction to be gained from the success.
"It was nice touch reflecting club atmosphere that all those who weren't in the match-day squad and the backroom workers who do so much behind the scenes were invited to travel down to Wales for our last game of the season," he said.
Hogg also revealed another Andy Robinson master-stroke calculated to put the team in a relaxed frame of mind – cricket. He said: "Rather than hang around out hotel before facing Llanelli Andy set up a trip to see Glamorgan, who he has helped in the past, play Gloucestershire at cricket.
"It was my first-ever experience of a top cricket match and the occasion helped relax the team putting us in a good frame of mind to go out and finish the season by beating Llanelli," explained Hogg who was speaking as he helped open new sports facilities for Trinity Academy at Bangholm funded by Edinburgh City Council and the Lottery.
The full article contains 388 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
