Scots want cohesion as Russell left on sidelines

SCOTLAND have om itted Fin n Russell (right) from their squad to face E ng la nd as they look to maintain “cohesion” a head of their second Guinness Six Nations game.

But head coach Gregor Townsend remains in talks with the sidelined Racing 92 fly-half.

Adam Hastings is set to continue in the No 10 jersey for Saturday’s BT Murrayfield encounter, while Duncan Weir is also in the 37-man squad.

Russell left the squad nine days before Saturday’s opening defeat by Ireland after being told he would not play in Dublin after missing training following an alleged drinking session at the team hotel.

Defence coach Steve Tandy said: “I think Gregor is i n dialogue with Finn but I know through this period we have been after cohesion and as many players to do as many training sessions as we can.”

When asked whether Russell would feature later i n the tournament, Tandy said: “I have no idea. That’s as much as I know and as defence coach I think I have enough to deal with. It’s more about getting our systems up and running.”

The Welshman feels togetherness is crucial as he introduces new patterns of defence play to the squad.

“The boys have been great,” he said. “Having probably about six sessions to do it, it’s been really exciting but the way the boys have bought into it and been asking questions, their appetite to learn has been stimulated in a slightly different way, they have been a pleasure to work with.”

The former Ospreys head coach, who was appointed in late December, said: “I am new to international rugby and it’s been awesome to see the way the boys have really connected.

“The majority of the group have trained nearly every session.

“It’s been hard for some of the exiles to miss two or three sessions but that’s part of international rugby.

“Obviously we didn’t get the result in Ireland but a lot of the performance is down to having cohesion and being a tight group. You can see the way they were interacting in Spain, they look a really tight group.”

Lock Jonny Gray hopes to see his former Glasgow team-mate back in the squad.

“All I know is that everyone cares about Finn here and hopefully it sorts itself out,” said Gray.

Gray was still hurting from Saturday’s 19-12 defeat after Scotland failed to make the most of a series of chances, the most blatant when captain Stuart Hogg spilled the ball while attempting to touch down.

“It’s still pretty raw,” the 25-year-old said. “All credit to Ireland, they ground out the win and deserved it but it’s frustrating from our end not to take our opportunities.”