Stuart Hogg setback as former Scotland full-back ruled out of start of French Top 14 season

L’Equipe is reporting that the former Scotland captain tore his calf in training and could be out for up to six weeks.

Hogg, 32, signed for Montpellier this summer, a year after retiring from rugby, but will now have to wait a little longer for his debut. The Top 14 season kicks off on September 7, with Montpellier at home to Lyon on the opening day.

Hogg’s last competitive game was on April 30 2023 when he came off the bench for Exeter Chiefs in their Champions Cup semi-final defeat against La Rochelle.

He has endured a number of serious injuries over the course of a glittering career which saw him win 100 Scotland caps and cited this as a reason for his retirement last summer. But he reversed that decision by agreeing a two-year deal with Montpellier, with the option of an additional year.

He signed for the French club as a medical joker for Anthony Bouthier, who suffered a ruptured cruciate ligament in his knee at the end of April and is not expected to return to the field before early 2025.