FINN HAD TACTICS ON HAND

IT was a little smudged, but Glasgow’s secret game plan for their Pro12 triumph was there for all to see, written in ink on the back of Finn Russell’s left hand. He had already received his pre-match tactics from Gregor Townsend, but the stand-off did not want to leave anything to chance and, rather than come to the touchline for reminders, he referred to the 10 short sentences he had scribbled down. ‘It was in case I forgot things in the heat of the moment,’ explained a jubilant Russell. ‘I didn’t want to make the wrong call. As it turned out, the boys made my life easy because our tactical plan worked well.’ Russell (right), who will be named in Vern Cotter’s World Cup training squad tomorrow, believes Glasgow’s famous victory will have a positive effect on the national team in the run-up to the tournament. ‘This is a great boost for Scottish rugby,’ he said. ‘We had a disappointing Six Nations, but it shows the character of the boys at Glasgow that we can bounce back and win the title. To come from a low and finish off on such a high is amazing. ‘This will give us a boost going into the World Cup. To beat Munster the way we did is fantastic and shows we have the experience needed to win big-pressure games.’ Russell is one of the players Townsend believes he can build his team around next season, albeit the head coach admitted Glasgow will face a huge challenge to secure back-to-back titles due to the unavailability of his star names for long periods. ‘It is players like Finn who can help Glasgow to further success,’ he said. ‘The problem is, it was always going to be challenging next season because we’re going to have 15, maybe 20, players in the Scotland World Cup squad and other players away, too. ‘Whatever happens, this win will drive up standards in the Scottish game. ‘When Ulster won the European Cup in 1999, the other Irish provinces thought they could do it, too, and suddenly got big crowds following winning teams. ‘Munster and Leinster took on the mantle and now the Irish provinces are up there among the top 10 in Europe.’