Scotland and Lions full-back Stuart Hogg sprung a surprise when he announced he would be retiring from rugby after this autumn's Rugby World Cup.
Prompting shockwaves throughout the game, the 30-year-old full-back - who will have turned 31 after the global showpiece in France - says he could not have asked for any more from his rugby-playing career, having represented Scotland 100 times, and playing on three British and Irish Lions tours.
The reason for stepping down is because of the wear and tear on his body, and comes more than a decade after a then 19-year-old made his international debut. He would go on to become one of his country's, and indeed the British Isles', most potent attacking threats, becoming a rugby rock star in the process. Spending three years on the Test scene before he was joined by Finn Russell, it was Hogg who carried the weight of creative expectations on his shoulders for some time.
We take at Hogg's story so far, some of his best and most memorable moments, and what he may turn to after rugby:
Stuart Hogg's retirement statement in full
In a statement, he said: “As a young kid growing up in The Borders all I wanted to do was to play rugby for Scotland. I feel privileged to have represented my country on 100 occasions, play on three British & Irish Lions tours and represent some amazing clubs. I couldn’t have asked for any more.
“I’ve so many people to thank and I will get round to you all. First and foremost is my wife Gill, my parents, my brother and my kids. I’m so lucky and proud to have such a loving family that have supported me every step of the way.
“Rugby has allowed me to meet some incredible characters, make lifelong friends, travel the world and be part of some unbelievable experiences that I will cherish forever.
“Knowing what lies ahead, I have a real hunger to play the best, most enjoyable rugby of my career, finishing the season strongly with Exeter Chiefs before attacking the opportunity we, as a nation, have in France.
“After the tournament, a new career beckons and I will attack in the same manner as I play the game. I hope I have done you proud.”
Hogg added: "Knowing what lies ahead, I have a real hunger to play the best, most enjoyable rugby of my career, finishing the season strongly with Exeter Chiefs before attacking the opportunity we, as a nation, have in France. I don't feel my body can achieve the standards that I set myself for much longer and I've always wanted to finish at the top end of the game. After the tournament, a new career beckons and I will attack it in the same manner as I play the game. I hope I have done you proud. 100 not out (just yet)."
The tragic night he lost his friend
If you've ever seen Hogg do a W sign to the heavens after scoring a try (and there have been 27 for Scotland alone) or caught a glimpse of a tattoo on his ribs, it's all in memory of his late friend Richard Wilkinson, who died in a car accident which Hogg was also in.
In April 2009, the two friends had been waiting for a minibus to collect them from a sevens tournament in Kelso when a friend offered them a lift. The pair had played rock, paper, scissors to determine who would sit in the front passenger seat of the car.
But the driver of the Peugeot 306 GTI ended up in a 90mph race along a country road with another car and lost control on a sharp bend. Wilkinson, 17, died instantly from severe head injuries after a wooden post smashed through the windscreen. Hogg, sat in the back seat, survived after punching his way out the window to escape the wreckage.
The drivers of both cars were jailed for four-and-a-half years after admitting causing death by dangerous driving.
Richard's mum Sandra previously told The Daily Record: “Richard and Stuart were very close. They used to play rugby together and spent most weekends together. They were both very talented players and Richard would be so proud of how Stuart is doing.
“Stuart told us a while ago that he feels he has taken on Richard’s role as big brother to my younger son and daughter, which is very touching. He’s part of our family.
“Stuart called Richard Wilko and that’s why he does the ‘W’ sign during matches. When we first saw that, it’s hard to explain how we felt. It was really great to see Stuart do so well and it was emotional to see him dedicate that to Richard. He was even thinking about him when he was playing. That really meant a lot to us.”
Run-ins with coaches and losing captaincy
Hogg is no danger to a run-in or difference of opinion with one of his coaches.
After his selection for his first Lions tour in 2013, which he has admitted he allowed go to his head, he felt he had outgrown Glasgow Warriors and wanted a move to Ulster. But then-Glasgow boss Gregor Townsend dropped him for the PRO12 final against Leinster as a result of his petulance. "I was sitting in the stand with a pint. It was rubbish and all my own doing," Hogg has said of it.
On a more positive note, Hogg has led Scotland to unforgettable moments while captaining his country: on the day they broke an 18-year hoodoo when winning in Wales, when they won in Paris for the the first time in 22 years, and when they conquered Twickenham for the first time in 38 years.
On the club scene, he secured a Magners League win with Glasgow in 2015, a European Cup and a Premiership double with Exeter in 2020.
In 2022, he lost the Scotland captaincy, with Jamie Ritchie being named skipper for the autumn Tests despite Hogg returning to the group after being rested for the summer tour to Argentina.
While Scotland head coach Townsend said it had nothing to do with an unauthorised night out, it did indeed follow Hogg and five others going out drinking in Edinburgh on a Saturday night when they should have been back at camp preparing for the trip to Dublin a week later.
Hogg has since performed effectively for Townsend, now his national team boss, with Blair Kinghorn being primed as his long-term replacement. Hogg will have one last hurrah for Scotland in France at the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
New career options
In his statement announcing his retirement plans, Hogg said: "A new career beckons and I will attack in the same manner as I play the game."
While it would be no surprise were he to remain in rugby in some shape or form, but clothing may prove to be a route he chooses to travel further down.
In 2018, he linked up with Scottish business Johnstons of Elgin, maker of cashmere knitwear and fine woollens, to bring out a range of his own jumpers, zips and hoodies. It is where his dad John worked for many years, and the company is based in his hometown Hawick. "I'm passionate about wearing local garments and it's great to have an opportunity to have my own range."
He is also a big horseracing fan, having once revealed his sporting hero is AP McCoy, who was champion jockey for a record 20 consecutive times. “My passion for horses has endured, though, and when you think of horse racing you think of AP McCoy,” he once told the BBC. “I just loved AP, he was the only jockey who always wore the same colours, the green and yellow stripes with the white hat. It soon became apparent that was AP McCoy, and he was the big dog."
Wife, kids and family
Hogg married his long-term partner Gill in 2016, and the couple have three children together: Archie, Olvia and George.
Stuart's brother Graham also paid an emotional tribute to his brother following the news he'll hang up his boots after the World Cup. A former rugby player himself, Graham said the Hogg family will be prouder than Stuart will ever know.
“In that [2017] interview, Stuart talked about owing it all to me, but we — the family — are the ones who owe him more than he can ever know,” he told The Times. “Stuart has allowed us to make some incredible memories together, and in some of my own tougher times watching him thrive has been the thing that has really kept me going. We owe him everything, not the other way around.”
Some of the stick Hogg has received in the press and on social media for his appearance have really cut Graham and the Hogg family close to the bone. Hogg released a statement not long ago hitting back at those barbs over his hair, teeth and general appearance.
“That is the hard stuff, I’m getting a lump in my throat even now,” Graham added. “I’ve been through some pretty difficult times myself, and I would scroll the stuff being written about Stuart and I would feel like picking fights with absolutely everyone. Unfortunately that’s the world we live in — social media can be an outstanding place, but it can also be a lonely, pretty brutal place as well.
“Rugby is going through a bit of a transition, it’s not flavour of the month in a lot of circles, so we do need guys like Stuart who show that you can be yourself, that you can come from this type of environment down in the Borders and make it right to the top, being yourself doing it.”
