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'He doesn't look like he could lift 5kg but he's so, so strong. He's a natural freak'

(Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

He may not look like the stereotypical beefed up rugby player, but Scotland flyhalf Finn Russell is strong. Really strong.

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Speaking on Le French Rugby Podcast, Russell’s Racing 92 teammate Bernard Le Roux was asked about the mercurial Scot and he couldn’t speak highly enough about him.

“We have absolutely no idea [what he’s going to do]. We train about kicking it out of the 22 and then he runs it everywhere.”

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RugbyPass sent Big Jim to catch up with Finn Russell last year in Paris:

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RugbyPass sent Big Jim to catch up with Finn Russell last year in Paris:

“Even us that play with him don’t know what he’s going to do. He’s so unpredictable. He’s always on fire. He’s such a funny guy.

“He’s such a relaxed dude. He’s eating M&Ms and dancing like two minutes before kick-off.”

Le Roux has played against Russell both against Scotland and Glasgow Warriors, and says he posesses an x-factor that even sets him apart from the likes of All Black great Dan Carter.

“He’s so relaxed and all over the place. But that’s his style and way he plays. He’s a really great bloke and I’m fortunate to play with him.

“He’s such an attacking flyhalf. He’s different to what we had in the past [at Racing]. Obviously we had Dan Carter and Pat Lambie in the past, but Finn has got that X-Factor. It’s fun playing with him.

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“He enjoys challenges so much. When he’s playing against big flyhalves you always know he’s going to be on.

“He’s got some crazy skills. His ball skills and his vision are pretty amazing.”

Maybe the biggest complete the big forward could pay to the modestly built Russell (6ft, 87kg) is how bizarrely powerful he is despite it.  “He’s pretty strong,” said the 6’5, 114kg Le Roux. “In training we were split up into small groups during Covid in pre-season. And he was in my group.”

“I was doing 50s and 55s on dumbells and 200[kg] on deadlifts and this guy pitches up.

“He didn’t even warm up or nothing. He does 50s on dumbells and deadlifts. You look and him think ‘this guy can’t pick up 5 kilograms man but he’s so strong. He’s like a natural freak. He’s so, so strong.”

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A possible source of Russell’s unlikely strength could be the fact that he was an apprentice stonemason before a professional career in rugby beckoned.

He’s great on the beer after the game too.

“That’s where he’s best,” joked Le Roux. “He’s a good bloke and a good team bloke. Everyone enjoys him. He’s such a friendly guy. Especially him and Simon Zebo. They’re great for the team vibe and outside of rugby. They’re such a big part of the team.”

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Flankly 1 hour ago
Late Makazole Mapimpi try earns the Sharks win away to Edinburgh

Jake White described this as the strongest Sharks lineup ever. There is no doubt that it is at least an impressive roster. They did win, which is obviously an achievement against a good Edinburgh side. However …


For much of the first half Edinburgh seemed easily able to create 2 on 1 opportunities on both wings, with the defensive wingers biting in on the inside runner and cover defence being AWOL. Conversely the Sharks showed little ability to get behind the Edinburgh defensive line, with the sole exception of a nicely-exploited Am mismatch against a second row (which led to the Fassi try).


In general the Sharks, with their full complement of Bok firepower, do not look that dangerous in attack, and while tackling was good on the whole and goal line defence was impressive at times, they were exhibiting surprising breakdowns in open play defensive structures.


Also, the Sharks continue to be inaccurate, with material impact on the scoreboard. Missing two very kickable penalties is not the way to be the best. It looked to me like the Sharks contestable kicks were not well enough executed, and were too hard to recover.


Not sure what the running attack was trying to do, but my guess is that they were trying to pull off a Harlequins-style bash-and-offload game off of 12 (Esterhuizen). That’s not a terrible idea with the personnel available, but it would require creativity and a precision on second phase that was not in evidence.


Lastly, you have to have better discipline. It’s great that the team can cope with a 13 vs 14 period (of almost 10 minutes), but smart teams a avoid cards.


Having said that it was great to see the win. I thought that Edinburgh were cynical and niggly. Always hanging around on the wrong side of the breakdown, lots of intentional obstruction, illegal dummying at the base of the ruck, etc. They played a dirty game and the ref tolerated it. Always good to see that not succeed.


Overall the “best Sharks lineup ever” scraped the win, but under-performed their Bok-laden potential. Again.

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