Frustrated Finn Russell explains Racing's Champions Cup elimination
Finn Russell has shed light on how frustrated and disappointed Racing are following their pool stage elimination from the Heineken Champions Cup. The big-spending Parisians have never made a secret of their ambition to win the premier European tournament. However, having contested three finals in five seasons, that last defeat coming versus Exeter in 2020, their latest campaign has woundingly ended after four just pool matches.
The Scotland out-half tried to offset that disastrous outcome during the Aviva Stadium game: It was his splendid assist that put Christian Wade in for the 48th-minute try that had Racing 10-7 ahead of Leinster and in possession of the winning scoreline that would have clinched them the top-eight finish necessary to progress to the round of 16.
However, that scoreboard advantage lasted only five minutes and they were then blown away by a late Leinster power surge that included three tries in a purple patch eight-minute spell.
Ten months after his last appearance in Dublin was accompanied by the controversy that was being one of six players reprimanded by Scotland boss Gregor Townsend for an unsanctioned bar visit, it was about an hour after the 10-36 loss to Leinster that Racing talisman Russell arrived into the media centre to say his piece on the French club’s Champions Cup demise.
“For us, it is very disappointing to get knocked out in the pool stages. As you can imagine it was very flat in the changing rooms. I thought tonight we played really well for 65 minutes and then the power of Leinster showed in the last 15 minutes.
“It’s very frustrating to be knocked out in the pool stages but if we managed to play like that first 65 minutes in the rest of the season, we can do well and we can hopefully go to win the Top 14 and Challenge Cup. We have got a big game next weekend, La Rochelle at home, so we need to focus as much as we can on Top 14. I don’t know how it all works, the Challenge Cup. I’m not too sure but we will get stuck into that and try and win it.
“Champions Cup was our main goal having been in three finals and not managed to win. The main goal for the team is Europe so it is frustrating and disappointing to have been knocked out in the group stage.”
Where did Russell, who next season will be at Bath, apportion the blame for the French club’s deflating exit? “The first game against Leinster, it was 42-10 and we didn’t show what we could do as team, and the game against Harlequins we were pretty poor over there as well.
“The character and the heart we showed there today, if we had done that the first two games we could have been in a different situation today but the damage was done in the first two rounds.”
In just two weeks’ time, Russell will be hoping to be in a far better post-match mood than in Dublin. Scotland are set to take on England at Twickenham in the opening round of the Guinness Six Nations and the seasoned campaigner will head into that camp alongside Test newcomer Ben Healy, the Irish out-half from Munster who has opted to represent Scotland.
“I don’t know him at all,” admitted Russell. “I have spoken to Mike (Prendergast, the current Munster assistant who worked at Racing) and Simon (Zebo) a little bit and he is a good guy, so I’m looking forward to getting to know him and working with him in the next six, seven weeks.
“There is always competition and Ben coming in from Munster, he will bring a different view of the game and how we can play it. It will be good working and learning from him and working together, what we can try and build in the Scotland squad.”
Leinster boss Leo Cullen was understandably in a more cheerful mood than Russell following Saturday’s Champions Cup tie, his team pulling away in the end to seal the win that guaranteed them the No1 Pool A seeding for the knockout stages.
“You have got to be very respectful always,” he said of Racing. “It definitely didn’t feel like a 26-point win. We had some opportunities early, but were just snatching at things, not quite accurate enough, a little bit slow in some of our ruck arrivals.
“Racing, to their credit, were very brave defensively. You saw how aggressive they were, their chop tackles, getting guys on the ground quickly which meant they had players on the ball quickly and they came up with some big turnovers at different stages. They were a constant threat so you couldn’t switch off for a second.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Bold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
1 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
8 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
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
6 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.
8 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
61 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.
61 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.
8 Go to comments