Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
NZ NZ

Finn Russell defends Glasgow's 4G pitch after Scarlets' player describes it as 'shocking'

By Chris Jones
Russell has dazzled for Scotland in the past year.

Scotland Number 10 Finn Russell, who delivered the “miracle pass” which triggered England’s Six Nations demise, returns to haunt Eddie Jones’s men at Twickenham on Sunday promising more moments of magic in the famous Barbarians colours.

ADVERTISEMENT

Russell pulled the tactical strings as Scotland defeated England 25-13 with his wonder pass to Huw Jones becoming an instant internet sensation for the outside half who is swapping Glasgow Warriors for Racing 92 next season. It means Russell will no longer be playing on Glasgow’s artificial pitch which has come in for widespread criticism from Scarlets players who were left with cuts and burns following their Guinness Pro 14 semi-final 28-13 win over the Warriors.

Russell hasn’t had any issues with the pitch during his career with the Warriors and told RugbyPass; “I like the pitch and you get used to it. Before we got it we were playing on a grass pitch which was pretty poor and would be training on 4G then because you couldn’t use the main pitch. It made sense to get it done and Racing have got the same one over there. You get cuts and grazes but nothing that stops me going out and enjoying my rugby.

Continue reading below…

Video Spacer

“If it is really dry you can sometimes get burns but it’s never been too bad and for Glasgow and Racing it allows you to play the kind of rugby you want to produce.”

Wherever Russell plays that pass against the English will be a topic of conversation and his ability to thread the ball through the eye of a needle will feature in England’s defensive planning for their clash with the famous Baabaas at Twickenham.

The Baabaas style is to run from everywhere which fits neatly into Russell’s rugby mindset and with England currently on a three-game losing run, another loss just before they head to South Africa for a three test series would be another significant body blow.

Russell is well aware of the impact his pass made and said; “You throw those long passes in training and I suppose it was on a much bigger stage that day. We did have a good night after winning the Calcutta Cup. It was amazing for us to have beaten England and the way we have been playing in the last couple of years, we have been building to something like that and it was great to get the result.

ADVERTISEMENT

“Having played quite a bit together with Huw I knew what he liked and that if I threw the ball in a certain area he would go for it. It is about having a good understanding. This is going to be a different game to the one at Murrayfield but all the coaches I have played under have given me a freedom to play. I am looking forward to getting to know and playing with all the boys in this Barbarians squad because they are some of the best players in the World which is brilliant.

“It is about going out at Twickenham, expressing ourselves and enjoying the occasion because the reason we all started playing rugby was to have some fun.”

Russell will be filling the void at Racing 92 created by the departure of All Blacks legend Dan Carter and will be battling for the No10 jersey with Springbok Pat Lambie. Having lost in the European Champions Cup final to Leinster, Racing are now in the semi-finals of the Top14 competition highlighting the quality of the squad he is joining. “I have spoken to some of the guys in the Baabas squad who are playing in the Top 14 and they speak very highly of Racing as a club.

“They were very unlucky in the Champions Cup final but hopefully they will make the Top 14 final.”

ADVERTISEMENT
Video Spacer
ADVERTISEMENT

Join free

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | Episode 6

Sam Warburton | The Big Jim Show | Full Episode

Japan Rugby League One | Sungoliath v Eagles | Full Match Replay

Japan Rugby League One | Spears v Wild Knights | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 10 | Six Nations Final Round Review

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | How can New Zealand rugby beat this Ireland team

Beyond 80 | Episode 5

Rugby Europe Men's Championship Final | Georgia v Portugal | Full Match Replay

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

J
Jon 7 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

35 Go to comments
j
john 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

40 Go to comments
A
Adrian 12 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

40 Go to comments
TRENDING
TRENDING Diamond demands law change while accusing Tigers of illegal activity Diamond demands law change while accusing Tigers of illegal activity
Search