Stuart Hogg’s fine form has seen him tipped for a place in the Lions squad this summer but Scotland assistant coach Duncan Hodge knows consistency will be the key to a place on the plane Down Under.
Hogg shone in Scotland’s opening day defeat to England and then again in the convincing win over Italy to put himself right in the mix with Britain and Ireland’s elite.
Now the 20-year-old is all set to go head-to-head with 2009 Lions Test full back Rob Kearney this weekend, before facing off against another Lions favourite in Leigh Halfpenny in Round 4.
And while former Scotland fly-half Hodge reckons the Glasgow Warriors star has all the attributes to shine on the biggest stage of them all, he has reminded Hogg of the need to kick on against Ireland, Wales and France.
"He's an incredibly talented player. He has got some great attributes and to be put in that mix, you have got to play well five weeks out of five," said Hodge.
"You have got to play well season after season, and that's Hoggy's challenge now, to keep reproducing that good form.
"That's what rugby is about and what being a good player is about, replicating characteristics and form over a sustained period."
Another Scotsman who is convinced Hogg can be a key performer for the Lions in 2013 is ex-centre Jim Renwick.
Renwick toured South Africa with the Lions in 1980 and knows what is needed to go from playing for one country to representing four.
The 61-year-old has watched Hogg’s fledging career with great interest and is tipping him for greatness.
“Whatever level Stuart has played at whether it has been schools, U18, U19, U20, for Glasgow or Scotland, he has made that step up with ease, and I feel he could do that for the Lions as well,” Renwick told the Rugby Paper.
“A lot of players rely on their size and strength to get ahead early in their careers but then they find the step up, whether in physicality or speed, too much, but Stuart has never been like that.
“He obviously has a lot of speed but he has a rugby intelligence you don’t see from a lot of players that puts him one or two steps ahead.
“He realises what is around him in terms of space, where his team-mates are and gives them the ball at the right time.
“I was in a similar position to him with my size, but he will go on to be a better player than I ever was.”
