Hugh kicked off his rugby career aged 11 for Pirongia RC in Waikato, played through the age grades, and onto the IRB Junior World Cup in South Africa.
With Otago since 2011, he was also part of the Highlanders squad in 2013. Both his grandparents are Scottish – one from Glasgow and one from Edinburgh – and he still has family in the city.
He joined Edinburgh in December 2014 on a trial period, he made his first appearance for Edinburgh, in the A team against Glasgow A, at BT Murrayfield later that month though left the field early through injury. He was named in the Scotland RBS 6 Nations squad in January 2015.