Shamed rugby star Stuart Hogg has insisted he is not ‘playing the victim’ during an extraordinary social media rant after again being banned with having direct contact with his former wife.

The former Scotland captain – who admitted carrying out a five-year campaign of domestic abuse – had been allowed to communicate with Gillian Hogg through a co-parenting phone app.

But the 33-year-old was blocked from doing so earlier this week, with his non-harassment order now saying contact between the pair regarding their four children can only be through lawyers.

No reason was given to Jedburgh Sheriff Court on why the Crown amended the order back to what it was when he was first convicted, but it is understood his ex-wife expressed concern about the content of messages on the app.

It led to him being stopped at Manchester Airport in February, while travelling back from France where he now plays for Montpellier.

He was told to report to the police station in his hometown of Hawick, Roxburghshire, and he was then interviewed in connection with an alleged breach of a non-harassment order but released without charge.

After the court imposed the change this week, Hogg took to social media, where he claimed he deleted the co-parenting app in February this year and that it was him who asked for contact to be through solicitors.

Reacting to reports about the issue, the once revered rugby player said: ‘We’re back with the same nonsense.

‘I took the decision to delete the app in February.

‘But, let’s not allow the truth to get in the way of another headline.

‘PS. I didn’t cross the line.’

The final comment appeared to be in response to a report in the Scottish Sun, which told of a source close to his ex-wife who said she ‘really hoped the app would be a good thing but he stepped over the line and she’s done with it’.

In response to the social media outburst one person accused Hogg of ‘playing the victim’, to which the rugby player responded: ‘Far from, actually.’

And he insisted to another: ‘I asked for the contact to be done via solicitors and not the app, yes. It’s amazing the lengths that people will go to ruin things.’

Hogg, who now lives abroad, was excused from attending court on Thursday.

His lawyer Mat Patrick said the application from the Crown was ‘unchallenged’ and would allow his lawyers to discuss child custody arrangements with her legal team.

Granting the application, Sheriff Peter Paterson said: ‘The order has reverted to the original form.’

The former Glasgow Warriors full-back, who was capped 100 times for Scotland, was convicted of a single charge of domestic abuse in 2024 for which he was later given a one-year community payback order.

Selkirk Sheriff Court heard that he regularly shouted and swore at his then wife, tracked her movements and sent her distressing messages over a five-year period.

During his January 2025 sentencing a five-year non-harassment order was imposed on Hogg, which had been relaxed in October to allow them to speak about childcare issues over the co-parenting app.

Last month it emerged Hogg had been stripped of the MBE he was awarded for services to rugby.

After leaving his wife, Hogg had a son named Teddy with former jockey Leonna Mayor.

The couple went public about their relationship in November 2023, just days after the then Mrs Hogg gave birth to their fourth child.

Earlier this year it was announced Ms Mayor and Hogg had split.