The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Russell after ‘home’ win in Scotland’s Paris clash
Winning in Paris for the first time in 22 years is motivation for most, but for Finn Russell a victory for Scotland in his adopted home would be beyond special.
The stand-off from Stirling plays his club rugby for Racing 92 in the French capital, and will be facing several of his weekto-week team-mates when he returns to the Scotland 10 shirt for the rescheduled game on Friday night.
“It would be amazing if we could win,” he said.
“The performance against England was brilliant. Even against Wales we played really well with 14 men and had a chance at the end to win that game.
“I think this game being called off (on February 26) took away a bit of the momentum we had built up, took some of the wind out of our sails a bit.
“If we finish off this weekend with any kind of win, going from a great start and then managing to get it back by beating Italy and France, it will show as a group of men and players we have come a long way from where we used to be.”
The French know all about Russell, of course, but that “works both ways”, he reckons.
“They know what I like to do in attack and I know what they like to do in defence and attack,” he said.
“So I am feeding into the boys about what the guys I play with at Racing might try and do.
“They have a lot of threats in attack. They will have a few defensive moves to try and counter what we do but we have a few to counter them as well.
“It makes for an exciting game because I know some of their star players well, like Teddy (Thomas) and Virimi (Vakatawa). I have a slight insight in how they like to operate.
“Virimi and I have been exchanging texts. He said he’d play if I do, so it will be good to see us both on the pitch this weekend.”
Scotland have been hamstrung by the rescheduling of the date in only being able to pick five of their English-based players as well as Russell, who said he was always confident that Racing would allow him to play.
However, he feels “gutted” for team-mate Sean Maitland and fellow Stirling boy Jamie Bhatti, who had to return to England.
“It’s tough, it is a one-off occasion that this will happen,” he said.
“So I’m not sure if it’s fair or unfair, we just have to prepare as best we can with the players we have got.
“Sean has been involved in most games in the Six Nations, Jamie just got back in again. But we can’t think about that, we just have to prepare as best we can.
“(Maitland) will be a very big loss. Brice Dulin is very good in air and that’s one of Sean’s strengths – winning balls and knocking them back.
“We are lucky that we’ve got Darcy and Duhan who will be able to cover for him. That might have been part of the decision Gregor has made.
“But it’s a big disappointment not having Sean here this week. He’s great for the team on and off the field.
“He is a big character for us and is one of the more experienced guys and he brings a lot in training and in games.”
But the Scots had to put any feeling of injustice behind them swiftly, he added.
“If we look at ifs and buts and ‘it’s not fair’ and all that stuff, it will be detrimental to our performance,” he said.
“We need to be solely focused on the game and who we have got.”
Scotland need a big margin of victory and a try bonus point to finish second in the championship, while a bonus-point win for France will allow them to win it outright.
There’s plenty scope for an open game on Friday night, Russell agreed.
“If you look at the stats, we have been playing pretty well and so have France. Both attacking well, defending pretty well and it could go either way.
“There’s not much between the top four teams in the table, just small margins. We lost by just one point against Wales, a penalty against Ireland.
“In both games we were still in there to the end of the game for a draw or potentially a win.
“On a personal side, I play over there now and I know what the France team means to them. The French team has developed over the past few years.
“I have never beaten them over there but I have back at Murrayfield a few times.
“It would be nice to beat them over there but whatever, it’s going to be a good and exciting game.”