Blair Kinghorn on losing the Scotland No10 shirt to Finn Russell
Blair Kinghorn has admitted he can have no complaints about losing the Scotland No10 jersey to the resurgent Finn Russell over the past few months. The 26-year-old Edinburgh player looked to have usurped the Racing 92 playmaker as Gregor Townsend’s first-choice stand-off heading into the autumn Tests.
Kinghorn played there in the final Six Nations game last year against Ireland and then continued in the Scotland No10 role in the summer tour of South America when Russell was given time off to rest.
Townsend then left Russell out of his initial Scotland squad for the autumn Tests due to the head coach’s concerns about his form and declared that Kinghorn was in the driving seat after selecting him to start his sixth consecutive match in the October Test against Australia.
That proved to be his last start for the national team, however, as Russell was called in for the third autumn Test against New Zealand and has excelled in his four appearances since returning to the fray.
“Finn is obviously a world-class player who is really hitting his form now and you can see how good he is when he is in form,” said Kinghorn. “He brings the other 14 players with him and gives us really good front-foot attacking ball to play off.
“There are ups and downs to it. Obviously you want to be starting but you’ve got to give credit where it’s due and the man in form is the man you want to pick, definitely. You just have to accept that Finn is top quality and when he is in that form, he is going to play. That is what you want, you want your best players playing.
“You saw what he can do on Saturday (against Wales), creating something out of nothing, putting us in really good scoring positions and the crowd getting behind him.”
Kinghorn has played most of his career at full-back before recent exposure at stand-off for club and country. In both of this year’s Six Nations games, he has come on as a replacement for full-back Stuart Hogg. “I’m obviously pushing because everyone wants to be starting but if my role is to be on the bench and come on and bring an impact, then that is my role,” he said.
“I just want to be involved in the 23. I’ll give it everything I have got to force my way into the starting team.”
Kinghorn was introduced to the action after just 13 minutes on Saturday when Hogg suffered a head injury and the Edinburgh man went on to score the fourth Scotland try in their 35-7 destruction of Wales. “When you’re on the bench, you usually warm up about 15 minutes and then 35 minutes,” said Kinghorn.
“I was just settling on the bench and someone shouted ‘Blair, Blair, you’re on’, so it’s straight panic and everything comes off. It’s quite good though because you get thrown in straight away and you don’t get time to think, which is what you want. It was good to get some more minutes. I felt confident and comfortable coming on at 15 because I was happy with the touches I had at Twickenham the week before.”
The Scots will aim to make it three wins on the spin when they face France in Paris a week on Sunday. “We will go with confidence,” said Kinghorn. “We went there two years ago and got a victory and I feel like we’re a better team now. Eighty minutes of rugby, anything can happen. If we get our rugby right, any team in the world will struggle to play against us.”
Comments on RugbyPass
No Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team does not beat the ABs sadly
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
3 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
55 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
3 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
54 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
11 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
54 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
3 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
54 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
55 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
54 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
54 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
18 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
18 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
54 Go to comments