‘Finn Russell has compelling case as Scotland’s greatest’
What was life like in Scotland before Russell, before the incredible skills with the hand and boot, before the vision and execution, before the confidence and personality that would get you off your couch and yes, before the risk-taking that could have you hiding behind him when things went wrong?
Scotland’s attack was largely inefficient in the Six Nations from 2000 to 2015, when Russell emerged in earnest. For 16 consecutive seasons, Scotland have never reached double figures for tries scored in a five-game championship.
They averaged less than six tries per tournament. Crossing the line was a Herculean task.
Then Russell. In their second Six Nations, Scotland scored 11 tries, then 14, then 11, then 14 again. That number dropped to seven in 2000, when Russell and his coach Gregor Townsend became estranged. The following year, with Russell’s recovery, the number of tries increased to 18. The average these days is around 14.5 per Six Nations.
This time they have 10 points from their first three matches. This isn’t all about Russell. Darcy Graham, Van der Merwe and Steyn were out wide, with Huw Jones and Sione Tuipulotu in midfield. There was Blair Kinghorn at full-back and Ben White and George Horne at scrum-half.
But Russell controls everything and has been the focal point of opposing coaches in every game he has played for the better part of a decade. He made life difficult, but it also shows the respect he earned.
