Russell called up at last as Scots face toughest of Tests

First, the bad news. New Zealand were in insuperable, exhilarating form against Wales at the weekend, taking a wrecking ball to their opponents, scoring 55 points and oozing with confidence and class in almost every area.

All the reservations which had been expressed about this All Black squad during the last couple of years seemed ridiculous as they ruthlessly silenced the crowd at the Principality Stadium with the sort of effervescent élan and energy which we’ve come to associate with teams from the Land of the Long White Cloud.

Now for the worse news. Their next opponents are Scotland at Murrayfield on Sunday – and, on the basis of what we witnessed in Cardiff from the likes of the coruscating Ardie Savea, Shannon Frizell, Dalton Papali’i and Aaron Smith, the hosts will have to move up several gears to have any chance of ending one of sport’s longest-running records.

Ever since November 1905, when these combatants first locked horns at Inverleith in Edinburgh, the outcome has been wearily predictable.

They have met all of 31 times in the last 117 years, and the tally stands at 29 wins for New Zealand and a couple of draws in 1964 and 1983 (the former ended 0-0, the latter 25-25).

In short, if Gregor Townsend wants to reduce some of the mounting pressure on his shoulders, he not only needs his team to return to the form they demonstrated 18 months ago – rather than the ragtag bundle of mediocrity which has summed up their 2022 campaign.

But they must also draw a veil over most of the material in the archives.

And, while it isn’t quite mission impossible, there haven’t exactly been a bundle of positives to extract from the Scots’ frustrating loss to Australia and unconvincing victory over Fiji, who might have orchestrated a shock if they had managed to keep 15 men on the pitch for 80 minutes, rather than lose three to the sin bin at different times.

Enough hot air has been expended already on Finn Russell and the will-he, won’t-he make a return to the Scotland ranks this week – a state of affairs which would leave Townsend looking horribly askew for not selecting him for the squad in the first place.

And yet, with Adam Hastings injured, and the alternatives being Blair Kinghorn and the inexperienced Ross Thompson, the coach needed to ask himself: Do I eat humble pie and make a phone call to France, or hope something crops up from the land of Narnia?

He opted to do the former, which is why Russell has now been added to Scotland’s squad for Sunday’s encounter.

The reality is that whenever the Scots have pushed the All Blacks close, they have done it with a talismanic figure at No 10 – somebody in the mould of John Rutherford, whose brilliance was on display in that nerve-shredding draw.

They also have to prove they can be more streetwise without conceding an absurd number of penalties in the process and escape the lumbering, onedimensional approach which has made them pretty easy to defend against in recent contests.

Wales were almost out of contention inside the first quarter as they trailed 17-0, so it goes without saying a fast start will be essential once the haka is over.

But, on the big stage, backed by the exhortations of a sell-out crowd focused on what’s occurring on the pitch, there’s no reason why New Zealand can’t at least be tested.

Rutherford recalled, of the 1983 tussle: “The All Blacks were fabulous, and it was a question of clinging on to their coat tails, putting points on the board whenever we were in their territory. We had a topclass pack, and they outrucked New Zealand throughout the game.

“We had powerhouses among the forwards – David Leslie was just immense. And with people such as Colin Deans, Jim Calder, the Bear (Iain Milne) and Iain Paxton playing their hearts out, we were always in the hunt.

“Some of it wasn’t pretty, but you had to get in their faces. Standing back was not an option for us, because we had seen how these boys had destroyed the Lions (4-0) just a few months earlier.”

By the climax, when Jim Pollock scored a late try, Rutherford honestly thought his side might sneak the spoils, but Peter Dods, who had already landed five penalties, missed the conversion. It was as near as the SRU’s finest have ever come to beating the Kiwis.

But it took a genius to run the show, and while Russell might be no “Rudd”, he’s as close as Scotland have at the moment.

BLISTERINGLY GOOD: The All Blacks’ Ardie Savea sets up Aaron Smith, right, for a try against Wales at the Principality Stadium on Saturday.