Peace but Finn won’t play in the Six Nations
FINN RUSSELL and Gregor Townsend have made their peace at last — but the stand-off will not return to the Scotland squad until after the Six Nations. Following a number of positive telephone conversations between the pair — two last Sunday and another last Tuesday — it was agreed that the Racing 92 playmaker will return to the fold. A statement on the SRU’s Twitter feed confirmed: ‘While not named in the squad, positive discussions have taken place with stand-off Finn Russell, with the goal of these being continued over the next few weeks in order for him to be involved in the forthcoming Summer Tests.’ However, Russell will not
Finn Russell has a duty to apologise to his team-mates for his behaviour before he officially sets foot back in the scotland camp. it’s been known for some time that there have been issues between him and scotland head coach Gregor Townsend. it happens. Whatever your profession, sometimes you don’t get on with your boss.
But your team-mates and your work-mates should be another matter.
Russell shouldn’t expect to be treated differently from the likes of fellow experienced internationals like stuart Hogg, Fraser Brown or Jonny Gray.
it was a group of senior players who told him to stop drinking that fateful sunday night when he ignored their advice.
They also agreed — albeit before he turned up at the team hotel — that there would be a night out after the six nations game against england, which was a date that didn’t suit him.
Players based south of the border also couldn’t make it, but didn’t complain as the vast majority who play for edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors could go.
Russell should have followed their lead, looked at the bigger picture and accepted he wouldn’t be there.
You have to wonder if strong characters such as former captains John Barclay and Greig laidlaw had not retired from international rugby whether Russell would have been so stubborn. it is unlikely he would have.
Rugby is a team game and Russell needs to buy into that.
in his defence, the stand-off said he only had a few beers and had finished drinking by 11pm, but that wasn’t the point.
He ignored his team-mates and undermined the senior players’ authority, whether he realised it or not.
Remember, all this happened on the first night that the scotland team got together ahead of the six nations. There were six uncapped players, some of whom were meeting Russell for the first time, in the team hotel. He didn’t exactly make a good first impression
Then, rather than stay in the hotel with the squad that evening, he left to return to his parents’ home in Bridge of Allan. He wasn’t at training the next day and the rest, as they say, is an inglorious history.
it is positive news that he has at least made up with Townsend and will be helping him prepare for sunday’s match against France by taking part in a conference call with all the coaches today from his home in Paris.
That must have taken a lot of soul-searching on both sides and scottish rugby can only benefit from having one of their star players back in the fold.
Russell’s return won’t happen in time for the final two six nations games against France and Wales but he will be available for the summer tour when scotland take on world champions south Africa in Cape Town and Durban and new Zealand in Dunedin.
Of course, there is no guarantee that Townsend will be in charge for that tour but, if he is, Russell has made a commitment to play.
By then, he must have had a sit down with his team-mates and apologise for the disruption he has caused. Yes, he has been in contact during the six nations with his pals such as his former flat-mate Ali Price and has contacted fellow stand-off Adam Hastings to offer advice.
That is all well and good but he has to treat all his team-mates equally and apologise to them all.
How great would it be if he went out of his way to travel from Paris to scotland this week to meet them all in the team hotel ahead of the game against the French?
if and when he does that, the healing process will be complete and everybody can finally move on.