IT’S ALL CHILD’S PLAY FOR FINN
New dad puts in a man of the match performance
Finn Russell was at his brilliant best as he pulled all the strings as Scotland swept aside Wales to maintain their strong start in the Six Nations.
The Bridge of Allan maverick was at the centre of all the action as he used his kicks and varied range of passing to dictate the Scots’ attack in the 35-7 thumping of Wales at Murrayfield.
The 30-year-old made a number of errors in the opening half. However, after the break the Bathbound fly-half was in the thick of the action as he controlled the match.
Playing right on the edge, the Racing 92 star confidently set up wave-after-wave of Scotland assaults against the beleaguered Welsh defence.
The commanding victory leaves Scotland second in the Six Nations table, trailing world number ones Ireland by two points of a difference.
They will now travel to Paris a week on Sunday for their toughest test to date against a French side currently ranked number two in the world.
Saturday’s joyous victory handed Scotland the Doddie Weir Cup – the trophy named in honour of the Scotland great who died from Motor Neurone Disease in November last year.
Their 35-7 victory was the biggest winning margin for Scotland over Wales in 140 years of the fixture as Russell kicked ten points.
Following his Murrayfield heroics, Russell said his current form is down to him maturing after he became a father for the first time last year.
“I’ve matured since my partner fell pregnant and the baby arrived [in November],” he said.
“It gave me a new responsibility straight away. It wasn’t just me, it was three of us. That helped.
“The last four-and-a-half years I’ve been in Paris on my own. My partner moved over just after the Six Nations last year, and having someone with me day in and day out, well I needed that. It’s a big factor in how I’m playing just now. This was the next step in life and I think I’ve adapted well. It is the best thing that has ever happened to me.”
It was therefore appropriate that three-month old Charlie was in attendance as her father put on one of his finest displays to date for his country.
“Maybe that’s why they gave me man of the match,” he said. “It was a special game for me because she was there for the first time, we got a great result but I played quite well.”
In addition to the points he kicked over, Russell was monumental in much of Scotland’s attacking play and he really began to show his qualities with his handling and offloads. The highlight of the afternoon came when he offloaded with a mesmerising back-handed flip to Kyle Steyn that sent him over for a try.
Scotland’s current form has put the squad in a good place and Russell admits that it has even improved his often rocky relationship with head coach Gregor Townsend.
Russell added: “Greg and I are getting on better than ever before.”
Russell and his Scotland team will now be hoping to claim the Triple Crown when they face Ireland at Murrayfield next month. Their Six Nations campaign concludes when they host Italy on March 18.
Looking ahead, Russell added: “People will now say about the title but that’s a long way away yet. Last week we were definitely happy, but we knew we had a lot more in us and knew we had to back it up. In two weeks’ time when we go over to France it will be a massive test for us, probably the biggest so far. The challenge is now to back up the first two wins.”