Who is the masked man?

“He’s probably one of the very best tacklers in world rugby”

FRENCH giants Racing 92 have made the first move for Finn Russell in a bidding war that is set to make him the highest-paid Scottish rugby player of all time.

The Top 14 team have come up with an opening offer of £390,000-a-year for the Glasgow Warriors fly-half, who is out of contract at the end of the season.

However, with All Blacks legend Dan Carter already playing at ten for the Parisian club, Russell will be keen to keep his options open.

The 25-year-old will certainly be looking for a regular start next season to keep his place in Gregor Townsend’s Scotland team in the run-up to the 2019 World Cup.

With so many top clubs in the market for Russell, a final deal at between £500,000 and £550,000 per season is likely to be struck once all the bids are in. This would see him double the money he is currently on at Scotstoun.

Bordeaux, Lyon, Toulouse and Toulon are also expected to make their moves over the next few weeks.

Montpellier, with former Scotland head coach Vern Cotter in charge, have yet to declare an interest but are keeping a watching brief.

Likewise, English outfits Wasps, Bath and Saracens could also be part of the bidding for the man who was called up as injury cover for the British and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand earlier this year.

Although the SRU want Russell to stay with the Warriors, they don’t have enough cash to compete with the French and English clubs.

The highest-paid player on their payroll at present is Stuart Hogg, who agreed a deal of £375,000-ayear to remain at Glasgow.

Russell, whose father Keith abruptly left his role as the SRU’s head of domestic rugby in May, will be a huge loss to the Warriors as there is no natural successor in place.

Adam Hastings has potential but little professional experience and, at the age of 21, still has a lot to prove.

Glasgow defence coach Kenny Murray conceded that the club have a real fight on their hands to retain Russell, who is widely considered to be one of the best number tens in world rugby.

‘Everyone knows Finn’s situation and that there are clubs chasing after him,’ said Murray.

‘I’m sure that Glasgow Warriors and Scottish Rugby will be working to try and keep him here but, ultimately, it will become Finn’s decision.

‘Certainly we want him to stay at Scotstoun as he’s a big part of our team and how we play, so that discussion will be ongoing between Finn, Glasgow Warriors and Scottish Rugby over the next few months.’

Russell showed his worth in the bonus-point win over Munster in the Pro14 last Friday night, running the show from ten as well as putting over four conversions and three penalties.

He hasn’t missed a kick at goal this season and has now put over 16 kicks in a row, beating by one the previous best in the league after four games set by Dan Biggar of the Ospreys in 2014.

‘He played really well against Munster,’ said Murray. ‘People look at what he does in attack, which is important, but defensively he is very good, too.

‘We got two turnovers at the weekend as a result of Finn making really good low tackles and people forget that part of his game.

‘As a stand-off, he is probably one of the best tacklers in world rugby, so he’s got a lot to his game other than just his attack.

‘He is also very good in the air and is a brave player. He got hit in the nose against Munster and it is a bit swollen. It has kept him quiet!

‘On top of that, he’s a very good kicker. I remember over the last couple of years, Gregor Townsend used to always talk to him about pushing his stats up because obviously it helps the team. But it helps Finn as well to push up the standard in his kicking game.’

Russell is set to start for Dave Rennie’s men in this Friday’s home match against Benetton when they will look to keep up their unbeaten start to the season with five wins out of five.

Victory over the Italian outfit would keep them top of Conference A of the Pro14.