WHO WILL BE THE HEINEKEN HERO IN FINAL BATTLE?
ANDY NICOL ON CUP FACE-OFF BETWEEN HOGG AND RUSSELL:
SPORTSMAIL columnist ANDY NICOL, the first British player to lift the European Cup when he captained Bath to victory in 1998, runs the rule over his fellow Scots Stuart Hogg and Finn Russell ahead of today’s final between Exeter Chiefs and Racing 92.
PASSING
STUART HOGG — This is an area he has improved a lot recently. A few years ago, he butchered a few try-scoring opportunities for Scotland but he has been nailing them lately for Exeter. The nature of his position means that most of his passes are really important ones so, when they go wrong, they are very noticeable. FINN RUSSELL — An area of real strength for Finn. When he is on it, he might just be the best passer in World Rugby, and the pass to Huw Jones in the Calcutta Cup a few years back was one of his best. He plays so flat, right up to the defensive line and then he fizzes these passes off either hand, giving the defence no time to readjust and drift out.
KICKING
SH — Hogg has a huge boot on him, which can be a real asset. He can kick from 22 to 22 easily which is great to relieve pressure. He has it in his armoury to do a chip and chase which can be effective if the defence has a flat line when chasing kicks. A stronger part to his game than he gets credit for. FR — Russell has the full repertoire of kicks. He can do the basics and clear his lines when required and when under pressure. He has good length, if not as far as Hogg. In attack, he has all the kicks whether they are little chips over the defence, little grubber kicks for himself or a cross field ‘kick-pass’ for the winger to score.
ATTACKING FLAIR
SH — Pace is key and Hogg has this in abundance. He glides across the ground to get into the right position and then he turns on the after-burners to take him to the try-line or get away from defenders to set his winger up for a try. The way Exeter play mean that Hogg gets quite a bit of space out wide and that is when he is so dangerous.
FR — Russell has the tougher job in attack as he has to do his attacking where there is no real space and there is a lot of defence. Creating space is one of his real strengths; seeing a gap or exposing a slower forward in the defensive line, and when he has so many effective players around him the show-and-go has allowed him to make many clean breaks for years.
DEFENCE
SH — This is an area that Hogg has worked very hard on over the years because he went through a period missing some
straightforward one-on-one tackles. In his position, if you miss a tackle, it normally means conceding a try. He has good tackle technique, all the pace in the world which is a great asset for him and has improved his defence recently.
FR — Maybe because of his attacking flair, Russell’s defence is sometimes overlooked but he can mix it with the biggest and the best. He is brave but you need to be when you are his size and defending in that 10 channel. His pace off the line helps disrupt the attack without actually making a tackle at times.
VALUE TO THEIR SIDE
SH — Hogg has added another dimension to Exeter and looks like he could be the missing link to make them the complete team. He brings real cutting edge and clinical finishing out wide. But Exeter’s real strength is up front in their forwards and their ability to score tries when they enter the opposition 22. Although Hogg has improved them massively, they would still win games without Hogg because they are so good up front. FR — The semi-final against Saracens showed how important Russell is to Racing. In a tight game that they were losing, it was his bit of magic that made the difference and won them the game. He is hugely important to Racing; Russell plays well, Racing play well but then the opposite is very true as well.
BIG-MATCH TEMPERAMENT
SH — Hogg has matured a lot in the last year or so and the Scotland captaincy was the reason for this. He has taken the responsibility of being one of the leaders very well and this has been seen in how he plays. He had a shortfuse and little things could bother him for a while but he is playing with much more calmness and authority now. The move to Exeter has been a great one for him and this is exactly the type of game he moved for.
— Russell loves the big occasion; in fact, the bigger the better and he will revel in being in the Champions Cup final today. Nothing seems to faze him; if he makes a mistake, then he will simply move on to the next job with no emotional baggage. His only weakness at times is that he tries too much but we can forgive that in an incredible player.