Stuart Hogg has described Rob Baxter as 'a very, very scary man'

Scotland and Lions full-back Stuart Hogg has admitted that he is scared of Rob Baxter, the Exeter Chiefs director of rugby who signed him from the Glasgow Warriors in 2019. The 30-year-old has enjoyed some incredible moments at the English club, winning a Gallagher Premiership/Heineken Champions Cup double in October 2020, but he has also endured the harrowing disappointment of being benched for the 2021 Premiership final.

Hogg confessed his feelings about Baxter during a lie detector test taken for BT Sport at last month’s Twickenham launch of the 2022/23 league season, footage that has now been released by the broadcaster.

Asked by presenter Craig Doyle if he was scared of Baxter, Hogg replied that he was, an answer that the polygraph confirmed was true. “Yes, yes. One hundred per cent. He brings out the best in me but he is still a very, very scary man. I had to spend three hours in the car with him and Henry Slade this morning. I was first to the car. I got in the back seat, just to be on the safe side.”

The seven-and-a-half-minute lie detector piece made for great viewing with Hogg sharing his thoughts on numerous other subjects such as Saracens, being on the receiving end of spiral bombs from George Ford, and whether he ever wanted to be an England player.

Asked if Saracens were the team he disliked the most in the Premiership, Hogg answered no and instead explained how he missed them during the London club’s season in the Championship. “What a horrible question that was,” he quipped.

"It was unbelievably horrible and lonely. So that is the serious honest answer, it was hellish. Mentally I really struggled…"

– Craig Doyle, the genial @btsportrugby presenter, on the heavy toll the pandemic had on him – w/@heagneyl ??? #GallagherPremhttps://t.co/1K2394TeBf

— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 11, 2022

“When they were in the Championship, the Premiership wasn’t really the same. You want the best teams playing in the best league… Having a team like Saracens again is something we can challenge ourselves against. They have world-class players all over the pitch.”

Doyle also asked Hogg if his mind ever wandered when under a huge high ball or spiral bomb. “Yes, it does wander because all I think about is what happens if this doesn’t go to plan. It’s a horrible, horrible place to be. And George Ford, with his spiral bombs, is the best in the world at it. Horrendous to play against.”

Asked if he ever wished he was an England rugby player, Hogg added: “No… please be right.” After a tense few seconds, the polygraph said that the Scotland player’s answer was true.

• Visit the BT Sport YouTube page to watch the full Stuart Hogg | The Lie Detector Test episode https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5uds2vKxkM&t=100s