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Montpellier owner Mohed Altrad has confirmed that Scotland and Lions full-back Stuart Hogg is coming out of retirement to join the Top 14 outfit on a two-year contract with the option for a third.
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Hogg, 31, has been blighted by personal problems since sensationally walking away from the sport and leaving the final year of his contract with Exeter Chiefs last summer.
It emerged last month that he was considering returning to rugby after we broke the news that Hogg had spoken to Newcastle Falcons about a potential deal but he was unable to agree a deal.
Scotland’s all-time leading try scorer faces trial in July after pleading not guilty to a domestic charge of acting in an abusive manner towards the mother of his four children.
Hogg, who helped the Chiefs win a Premiership and European Cup double in 2020, recently admitted to spending time in rehab and opened talks with Montpellier soon after his trip to Newcastle.
They confirmed the signing just days after retaining their Top 14 status after narrowly beating Grenoble in a relegation play-off game on Sunday evening.
Hogg first dropped the hint that he was considering coming out of retirement when he said that he would consider a run-out with home town Hawick in the Border League, which could have sparked the Falcons into sounding him out.
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“I think I’ll play [but] I don’t think I’ll play professionally. I might have a little run-out for Hawick next season and see how that goes. I’m really enjoying my new life (as a pundit for TNT Sports).
“I still get the match-day buzz – the build-up to the game, the warm-up and stuff. I used to love it, and I’ve had that forever. Will I play professionally again? Probably not,” said Hogg at the time.
Rob Baxter has a history of bombing players out of the club who display unacceptable behaviour off the pitch and Hogg wouldn't be the first full back at the club to have suffered that fate. Retirement was probably a good cover story at the time but I have a feeling the truth was much deeper. Joining Montpellier this summer with some of their questionable signings this summer seems just reward.
It seems to be pretty well known in Scotland that the reasons he ‘retired’ were not the reasons publicly given, and more to do with …checks notes… ‘personal problems’.