HE’S DONE SOME FINN STUPID...
FINN RUSSELL is one of my favourite players when in full flow and I would have loved to see him playing today, but he let himself and his country down with his late-night drinks and no-show at training. Gregor Townsend was 100 per cent correct in not considering him for today’s game in Dublin. It doesn’t matter who you are — no player is bigger than any team and if you behave in that manner you are surplus to requirements. He will be feeling rather stupid back in France and I hope it acts as a wake-up call. He is a very individual player, a character who seems to thrive on the maverick image. He famously laughed and joked his way through the national anthems a few years back at Twickenham — which is fine as long as you deliver on the pitch. That day he did not, which made him look rather stupid! This time he does not even leave himself with a chance to deliver on the pitch. He crossed the line. Big mistake. Russell is one of Scotland’s few world-class players, he is now a senior hand but wasn’t an unqualified success at the World Cup and has never consistently delivered on the international scene. I would have been demanding him to raise his game when the Scotland team gathered two weeks ago. So, that’s the bad news, but it’s not all doom and gloom for Scotland. In a strange way these incidents can be the making of a coach, the moment he must stamp his authority on the squad. And there is another positive. Adam Hastings, who replaces Russell, is a cracking player who shone brightly during his one World Cup start. He is bang in form and this could be his moment. If he goes well he could give Townsend some very interesting selection dilemmas. That’s part of the madness of this episode. What player would willingly give his extremely talented much younger rival such a great opportunity? You cherish that starting position like life itself. I expect Scotland to go well this evening, they have picked their best two centres at last, they have strike power and will be determined to show they can function without Russell. Having said that, I don’t see them beating a highlymotivated Ireland who badly need a win to get back on track.