Scotland full-back Stuart Hogg has hinted he would prefer interim head coach Scott Johnson resists calls to move him into the midfield for this week’s clash with Italy.
Hogg was the Scots’ top performer at Twickenham as they kicked off their RBS 6 Nations campaign with a disappointing 38-18 defeat to England.
The Calcutta Cup fixture ultimately ended with a 20-point margin separating the teams but there were areas to take consolation from for the losers.
The display by the Glasgow back was the most reassuring aspect for Johnson as Hogg set up Sean Maitland’s opening try before adding a late touchdown himself.
But the occasions when he could get on the ball were frustratingly seldom and former Scotland stand-off Craig Chalmers has already appealed to Johnson to push the 20-year-old up to outside centre in a bid to get him involved more often.
Hogg insisted he would play anywhere he is asked but suggested that he would prefer to stay where he is.
He said: “I enjoyed playing my part down there against England but it is a team game after all. I’m just honoured to be a part of that team.
“Hopefully I’ll be in the team again for the Italy game when it gets named tomorrow. Wherever I’m played, I’m just happy to get a jersey.
“I enjoy being at 15. I get plenty of space there that I can utilise for my kicking game, or I can use my passing game and, as you saw at the weekend, my running game.
“So I’m happy to play wherever but I enjoy 15 mostly. I’ll speak to the coaches and see what they want from me. It’s down to them after all.”
Johnson did not hold back with his criticisms of a team that failed to get to grips with England’s pack at the breakdowns.
Those words stung a deflated Scotland squad that travelled south ahead of the game determined to end a 30-year wait for a victory on English soil.
Hogg, though, admits the harsh tones of Johnson’s assessment where merited but insists they have not pierced the side’s fragile morale ahead of the Murrayfield meeting with the Italians on Sunday.
“We are all disappointed with the loss against England,” he said.
“But we have to move on. We have Italy coming up on Saturday, so we have drawn a line under the game at Twickenham and are focused on the game ahead. If Scott has something to say he won’t be scared to tell us.
“It’s good to have a coach that has a bit of banter with the boys but, when it comes to rugby, he’s serious. He was hurting as well after that defeat because we could have won it in certain areas. We know where we went wrong.
“Now it’s about turning negatives into positives this weekend and working hard throughout the week to get a vital win against Italy.
“But we are still high on confidence because we did perform really well on Saturday. We can now take that confidence forward. Italy will come on a high as well, and we will need to match them.”
Italy’s self-belief is soaring following their incredible 23-18 victory over France on Sunday.
“Italy utilised their game really well and played to their strengths,” said Hogg.
“They are a good side now who deserve their place in the 6 Nations.”