Scotland has not always been blessed with rugby players of genuine world class but prime-time Stuart Hogg was a rare exception. At the height of his powers he was the Six Nations Player of the Year in successive seasons in 2016 and 2017, mixing acceleration and attacking intent with a just-try-and-stop-me attitude that set him apart from the average workaday pro.
The talented lad from Hawick was a big fish in a series of smallish pools – the Borders, Scottish rugby, Exeter – and grew accustomed to being hailed as king of his local oval-ball castle. While, behind closed doors, not being entirely the man his many fans thought him to be.
When he pleaded guilty to a domestic abuse charge in early November – for which he has now been sentenced and spared jail – the court reports painted a grim picture of a controlling husband who was frequently a nightmare when drunk. Prosecutors recounted instances of him returning home and shouting and swearing at his now-estranged wife, Gill, then complaining about her “not being fun” for choosing to hide upstairs with their children.
Bombarding her with 200 texts in a few hours, causing her to have a panic attack and tracking her whereabouts via a phone app also suggested an obsessive streak and, potentially, a man adrift on the turbulent ocean of his own inflated ego. It culminated in a spell at a rehabilitation centre in April and a subsequent reflective post on Instagram. “I was lost, needed help, direction, time away from the spotlight to be able to take a deep breath and think,” wrote Hogg.
“I’ve been so concerned about what people thought of me, how I was coming across, the impact I would have on them and how I would survive the day. I lived every moment in my head and it wasn’t healthy. Spending time at a rehabilitation centre allowed me to reset, learn about myself and talk about how I felt, without being judged.”
The hope must be that the penny has finally dropped. Manipulative individuals often seek to paint themselves as victims, blaming other people or the demon drink for their unacceptable behaviour. Hogg, coincidentally, was a very distant relative of the late, great George Best, who had his own well-documented struggles with alcohol.
Professional sport is littered with talented people who, courtesy of their God-given talent and a seductive lifestyle, lose sight of where they came from. The last time I spoke at length to Hogg, then playing for Exeter Chiefs, he talked me through his rekindled love of horses and of galloping across the beautiful Devon countryside astride his big trusty steed, Arrow. As a kid he even fancied becoming a jockey and spent plenty of time on horseback during his Hawick childhood.
Instead his story is somewhat less idealised. His ex-girlfriend of three years, Jilly O’Donnell, told of not realising Hogg was still with his wife until she saw him on television revealing he and Gill were expecting their fourth child together. His current girlfriend, Leonna Mayor, a former jockey who became a TV presenter, is now expecting a child with Hogg.
Exeter is a relatively small place and whispers of domestic problems were widespread well before his final months with the Chiefs. When he abruptly announced his retirement in July 2023, less than two months before the start of last year’s Rugby World Cup, he cited physical wear and tear – “I feel I have a 70-year-old man’s body before my time” – as the primary reason. Behind the scenes, though, it is understood the collective mood in Scotland’s camp improved significantly after Hogg, no longer a guaranteed starter, stepped aside.
As one of only four Scotland Test centurions Hogg was, until last summer, his country’s all-time leading try scorer. He was made an MBE in last year’s new years’ honours list, captained his country to their first victory over England at Twickenham in 38 years and was selected for three British & Irish Lions tours. Latterly he has also been attempting a comeback with the French Top 14 side Montpellier. He is still only 32.
Hogg will also be remembered in Exeter for helping the club secure the European and domestic double in 2020 in his first season after signing from Glasgow Warriors. Initially he was a popular figure, dubbed “Haggis” or “The oldest 27-year-old you’ll see” in the Sandy Park dressing room, but he was also one of those players whose demeanour would change when a microphone or tape recorder was in the vicinity.
Hair transplant treatment and dental enhancement also suggested a penchant for reinvention. On his ribs, too, are inscribed the initials of his childhood friend Richard Wilkinson, who tragically died aged 17 in a car accident on a country road in the Borders in April 2009. Hogg was in the back seat and escaped from the overturned vehicle by forcing its rear window.
He subsequently lent his name to the campaign to reduce deaths on rural roads and confirmed in 2015 it had been a formative experience. “Losing my best mate Richard will live with me forever and was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to go through. It could have easily been me and I think about him every day and all of the things he’s missed out on.”
At least Hogg still has the chance to relocate his moral compass, own his mistakes and try to transform how others perceive him.
