THE MAGICIAN
Scotland’s Special One FINN RUSSELL has every trick in the book, trains with his laces undone and is set to bewitch England — say those who know him best
ENGLAND go to Murrayfield next Saturday with only one victory in their last six encounters with Scotland, a shift in the balance of power that has coincided with fly-half finn Russell’s emergence.
The Bath No 10 is a genius who can turn matches with remarkable acts of sorcery. Mail Sport spoke to those who know him best to find out how he became one of the world’s great playmakers:
DAN BIGGAR (MAIL SPORT COLUMNIST AND LIONS TEAM-MATE)
OUR personalities appear to be very different, but having toured with finn with the British & Irish lions in 2021, I don’t think he gets enough credit for the preparation he does.
When we were in South Africa together, he was always looking at the laptop ahead of matches.
I was surprised by the attention to detail he put into that tour. Some people wouldn’t see finn as that sort of player but I can assure you he is.
he’s clearly always been extremely talented but talent only gets you so far and it’s clear how much he has knuckled down and improved his game in the last two years or so.
I really liked an interview I saw him give the other day in which he said this Scotland team is under a bit of pressure to go and win something. I thought it was refreshingly honest for him to say they’ve probably underachieved a bit and that he knows time is running out for this good group of Scottish players, and it was another sign of his growing leadership as his country’s co-captain.
IN ONE WORD: exciting. Players like finn are the ones fans really want to watch.
GREIG LAIDLAW (FORMER SCOTLAND CAPTAIN AND HALF-BACK PARTNER)
IF HE makes a mistake, finn just shrugs it off. he’s not cocky but he has so much self-confidence and that rubs off on the people around him. Certainly, he gave me that confidence, playing alongside him for Scotland.
he has a constant drive to put teams under pressure and keep playing his game, no matter the scoreline. When he’s really on it, seeing things, picking passes and making breaks, other teams get scared. he’s got it all — the kickpass, the ability to play around teams and the ability to take contact and off-load. That’s what defences fear about him.
he’s a fun character. We were in Australia one time, we’d had a long trip and we had to go to the team room for a meeting. All the players were arriving, then next thing finn appeared on this racing bike and starting cycling round the room wearing this random helmet. he likes to enjoy himself.
IN ONE WORD: Special. We don’t produce that many special players in Scotland, but he is the Special One!
RORY TEAGUE (HIS COACH AT RACING 92)
I LOVE watching him play. he’s always trying to push the limits and stretch the players around him. he believes in himself and his natural hand-eye ability and game sense are phenomenal.
he has mastered rugby. I believe he’s the best 10 in the world and he has a real drive to be the best — without outwardly showing that. finn is definitely not out of any manual but I think he is creating his own one for the future, for fly-halves.
When I arrived at Racing last season, the staff were annoyed that he would train with his laces undone. We’d have a laugh about it. Some of the younger lads had started copying him by training with their laces undone, then when finn laced his boots up, they would lace their boots up too!
IN ONE WORD: Magician.
LEE BLACKETT (HIS COACH AT BATH)
HE’S unique. he has some incredible attributes like his speed of pass and the variety of his kicking game. As a coach, you can design any play you want — he can execute it.
his biggest strength is his calmness. he makes everyone not panic if mistakes are made. In his first start for the club, at Saracens, finn was charged down from our first line-out and they scored. for the next 20 minutes he was unplayable. We scored three great tries and finn just kept attacking the line.
Opposition teams try to put pressure on him but the more they do, the more he can pick them off. It will be a great test of england’s new defensive system. IN ONE WORD: Cheeky! When we played at Kingsholm, he ran in front of the Shed after a conversion with his finger to his lips. Imagine if Owen farrell had done that — he wouldn’t have made it out of Gloucester! But finn did it and everyone was asking for his autograph after the game.