Stuart Hogg believes his Glasgow Warriors boss Gregor Townsend is capable of following on from the ‘phenomenal job’ that has been done by out-going Scotland head coach Vern Cotter when he takes over this summer.

Reflecting on three years that saw the Scots whitewashed in their first championship campaign under the New Zealander but win more matches than they lost this time around, the British & Irish Lion was full of praise.

“Vern always says it doesn't want to be about him (but) he has worked wonders for myself and for Scottish rugby and we thank him for absolutely everything he has done,” said Hogg.

“He instils confidence in each and every one of us. He wants us to go there and have some fun and you can see that on the boys’ faces.

“We are scoring tries and winning games and that's what it's all about.”

It was only the second time in history that the Scots have won the majority of their Six Nations matches and Hogg offered Cotter considerable credit for that.

“Vern is a very passionate guy. He has put everything into Scotland. You can see how much it means to him,” he said.

“He has done a phenomenal job and you can see how much it means to him.

“He will be missed. Montpellier are very lucky to have him and I wish him all the best.”

Following the previous week’s humbling 61 point thrashing at the hands of England, who received the Six Nations trophy on Saturday in spite of losing their final match in Dublin, there was a clear determination to ensure that Cotter departed the Scottish game as a winner.

“We were bitterly disappointed with that,” Hogg said of the defeat at Twickenham.

“Monday and Tuesday were fairly dark, but after we had a little break and came back in we were just excited for Italy.

“We had a chance to finish second in the table and we did everything we could.”

Results elsewhere meant they still ended the competition in the bottom half of the table after Ireland and France also registered wins to finish second and third respectively.

However the Scots could draw satisfaction both from earning a bonus point and keeping a rare clean sheet in registering a 29-0 win to finish ahead of Wales as well as the Italians, who suffered a whitewash for the second successive season.

“We knew we would have to do a professional job out there,” said Hogg.

“Italy are a gutsy side. Credit to them, I thought they were outstanding for long periods of the game. It's all about taking your chances and thankfully we did that.”

One of the Scots with the best chance of touring with the Lions this summer, Hogg’s focus now switches from the international scene to his club.

While Glasgow Warriors have struggled in recent weeks they have a European Champions Cup quarter-final at Saracens to look forward to as they return to full strength and are hoping to give departing coach Gregor Townsend a boost before he takes the Scotland reins.

And Hogg is anticipating a smooth transition for his fellow Borderer when Townsend takes charge of the Scotland squad in time for its summer tour of Australia.

“We will enjoy this win tonight. It's the last time the team will be together for a while because it's now back to Glasgow,” he said.

“I expect Gregor to bring much the same to Scotland as he has brought at Glasgow.

“We tend to play expansive rugby and for us nothing really changes between Glasgow and Scotland.

“Both coaches want to play expansively with everyone sharing the workload and getting tries.”