Is Finn Russell's absence merely laddish exuberance gone too far, or is something more sinister at play?
If Gregor Townsend wanted a smooth prelude to the Six Nations that could define his reign as Scotland coach, he has instead endured a whizz down crocodile-infested rapids on a leaking oil drum.
In the space of a week, Townsend has been shorn of Finn Russell, his most important and influential player, and Darcy Graham, the red-hot Edinburgh winger who would surely have started in Dublin in the tournament opener next Saturday.
Graham is injured – that cannot be helped – but the Russell tale is altogether more troubling. The story, well-documented by now, goes that Scotland’s supreme stand-off was drinking in the team hotel last Sunday night, resisted the calls of players and coaches to stop, missed Monday’s training session.
Then, after being told he would not be considered for the Ireland game, it was said he was welcome to stay and help the team prepare but chose to leave the camp.
Russell has not yet given his side of the story. Speaking to the Scottish Mail on Sunday after he helped Racing 92 wallop Castres on Saturday, he said he was only a “phone call away” for any of his team-mates who wanted a word.
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Finn Russell warned he must make the first move to salvage his Scotland career
He would not talk about his exile, the allegations about his behaviour, or what appears to be the culmination of a degenerating relationship with his head coach. Townsend addressed the issue for the first time in a scheduled Monday press conference, saying that he and Russell spoke for more than two hours last week and parted on good terms.
“I had a very good meeting with him,” he told BBC Scotland. “I’ve coached Finn for six or seven years now so we know each other very well, but the most important thing is the team. The team is what counts.”
On this, the coach is absolutely right. No player, no matter how talented or how vital, is bigger than the team. If Russell has engaged in the sort of egregious behaviour of which he is accused, then it is correct that he is punished. To make an allowance for a star man would be to shred the squad’s morale, foster resentment and set an atrocious double standard.
But you have to ask why Russell acted out. Why would a player in the form of his life embark on a drinking session, and apparently defy his peers and coaches, on the eve of a Six Nations camp? Why would he decide to leave the squad rather than help them train for a huge Test match? Is it merely a case of laddish exuberance gone too far, or is something more sinister at play?
Russell has liked a series of supportive tweets, one in particular saying that there is “nothing wrong with standing up for yourself”. He has since been pictured on Instagram seemingly enjoying a drink with former Glasgow team-mates on holiday in Dubai.
There’s nothing wrong with that – he has time off from club duty and has no international to prepare for – but the optics aren’t great. After a year of rugby horrors, this is a deeply worrying episode for Scotland. The national team – and most of all, their coach – needs an uplifting campaign that will restore public faith in their ability and positivity about where they are going.
There have been some developments in the Finn Russell sagahttps://t.co/u0LIIWJE2r
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 23, 2020
Losing his play-maker is a grievous blow to Townsend. Johnnie Beattie, the former Scotland number eight who has spent the past eight seasons in France, reckons Russell is seen as the best player in the country.
He has been nominated for the prestigious European player of the year award, and his outrageous highlights reel seems to gain another clip by the weekend. His acts of wizardry have only grown more spectacular at Racing and his game management has developed in spades. The flakiness and hair-brained errors of old are evaporating.
It is not just that Russell is brilliant, and that so much of Scotland’s game plan revolves around him, but there isn’t a great deal of Test quality behind him. You can go position by position through the Scotland squad, name-check pretty much every big player – Stuart Hogg, Graham, Ali Price, Jonny Gray – and he is about as close to irreplaceable as they come.
We go again ?
The squad return to the pitch for a training session as overseas preparations continue for this Saturday's #GuinnessSixNations opener against Ireland #AsOne pic.twitter.com/kCeoXpQcGq
— Scottish Rugby (@Scotlandteam) January 28, 2020
How long will Scotland do without him? “Let’s see what happens over the next few weeks,” said Townsend.
In the aftermath of the crazy Calcutta Cup draw of last year and Scotland’s spectacular second-half revival sparked almost entirely by Russell, the stand-off spoke about his difference of opinion with Townsend at half-time. “I actually had an argument with Gregor,” he told ITV after the match.
“I said to him ‘you’re telling us to kick and when we kick, they just run it back and cut us open, and when we run it, they’re just hitting us behind the gain line and winning the ball back’. Second half, we just came out with nothing to lose, played our rugby, kicked out of our half and scored some great tries. We played good Scottish rugby.”
Privately, Russell is believed to be surprised that Townsend is still in a job after the wretched 2019 Six Nations and the heinous group stage exit from the World Cup in Japan.
Worst of all, the fans who have paid considerable sums to sell out Murrayfield over and over, travelled all across Europe and Japan to watch the team play and are about to do so again, still don’t truly know why their darling play-maker is out of commission.
Speculation, rumour, vague statements – that isn’t good enough. Supporters deserve a clearer explanation.
A message here for Gregor Townsend perhaps? #flex #SixNationshttps://t.co/UGpnzEosWe
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 26, 2020
At the moment, Russell looks bad for what he is supposed to have done and Townsend doesn’t look great either for failing to keep a crucial player focused and diligent. You wonder, though, if the wizened Greig Laidlaw were still in camp, whether things would have come to a head in such dire circumstances.
What is blatantly clear is that Scottish Rugby cannot allow this to fester any further. Mark Dodson, their chief executive, is being paid nearly £18,000 a week, and he ought to take responsibility for bringing about an amicable resolution that can eventually allow Russell to return to international duty.
He has to do that without undermining his head coach, appearing to pander to the play-maker and risking malcontent spreading through the squad, or indeed upsetting the player further.
Dodson took an absolute pasting when details of his incredible remuneration package emerged this month. A bullish character, he has done a power of good for transforming Scottish Rugby’s financial performance, arming its pro-teams with more money and hiring successful coaches, but he has also presided over some distinctly unpleasant and ill-advised affairs.
Most pertinently, he was heavily involved in sacking Russell’s father – a former head of domestic rugby – in 2018. Keith Russell later won an unfair dismissal case against the governing body. Whether Dodson could act as a credible referee between player and coach is highly doubtful, but he has got to get someone who can on the case.
Doing without Russell for any length of time is incredibly damaging to Scotland and Townsend, who probably has more at stake in this championship than anyone. At the moment, nobody comes out of this looking good. Russell’s absence will hurt Scotland and hurt Townsend at a time where they desperately need some feel-good.
WATCH: Finn Russell gives RugbyPass a kicking masterclass at Racing 92’s state of the art training facility in Paris
Comments on RugbyPass
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
6 Go to commentsNo way. If you are trying to picture New Zealand rugby with an All Blacks mindset, there have been two factors instrumental to the decline of NZ rugby to date. Those are the horror that the Blues have become and, probably more so, the fixture that the Crusaders became. I don’t think it was healthy to have one team so dominant for so long, both for lack of proper representation of players from outside that environment and on the over reliance on players from within it. If you are another international side, like Ireland for example, sure. You can copy paste something succinct from one level to the next and experience a huge increase in standards, but ultimately you will not be maximizing it, which is what you need to perform to the level the ABs do. Added to that is the apathy that develops in the whole game as a result of one sides dominance. NZ, Super, and Championship rugby should all experience a boom as a result of things balancing out. That said, there is a lot of bad news happening in NZ rugby recently, and I’m not sure the game can be handled well enough here to postpone the always-there feeling of inevitable decline of rugby.
6 Go to commentsNo SA supporter miss Super Rugby - a product that is experiencing significant head wind in ANZ - the competition from rival codes are intense, match attendance figures are at a historical low and the negativity of commentators such as Kirwan and Wilson have accelerated the downward spiral in NZ. After the next RWC in 2027 sponsors will follow Qantas and start leaving in droves.
2 Go to commentsLike others, I am not seeing the connection between this edition of the Crusaders and the All Blacks future prospects under Razor. I think the analysis of the Crusaders attack recently is helpful because Razor and his coaching team used to be able to slot new guys in to their systems and see them succeed. Several of Razor’s coaches are still there so it would be surprising if the current attack and set piece has been overhauled to a great extent - but based on that analysis, it may have been. Whether it is too many new guys due to injuries or retirement or a failure of current Crusaders systems is the main question to be answered imo. It doesn’t seem relevant for the ABs.
6 Go to commentsharry potter is set in stone. he creates stability and finishes well. exactly what schmidt likes. he’s the ben smith of australian rugby. i think it could quite easily be potter toole and kellaway for the foreseeable future.
5 Go to commentsThis is short sighted from Clayton if you ask me, smacks of too much preseason planning and no adaptability. What if DMac is out for a must win match, are they still only going to bring their best first five and playmaker on late in the game? Trusting the game to someone who wasn’t even part of planning (they would have had Trask pinned in as Jacomb preseason). Perhaps if the Crusaders were better they would not have done this, but either way imo you take this opportunity to play a guy you might need starting in a final rather than having their 12th game getting comfortable coming off the bench.
1 Go to commentsThanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.
21 Go to commentsWhat a load of bollocks. The author has forgotten to mention the fact that the Crusaders have a huge injury toll with top world class players out. Not to mention the fact that they are obviously in a transition period. No this will not spark a slow death for NZ rugby, but it does mean there will be a new Super Rugby champion. Anyone who knows anything about NZ rugby knows that there is some serious talent here, it just isn’t all at the Crusaders.
6 Go to commentsI wouldn’t spend the time on Nawaqanitawase! No point in having him filling in a jersey when he’s committed to leave Union. Give the jersey to a young prospect who will be here in the future.
5 Go to commentsIt was a pleasure to watch those guys playing with such confidence. That trio can all be infuriating for different reasons and I can see why Jones might have decided against them. No way to justify leaving Ikitau out though. Jorgensen and him were both scheduled to return at the same time. Only one of them plays for Randwick and has a dad who is great mates with the national coach though.
53 Go to commentsBrayden Iose and Peter Lakai are very exciting Super Rugby players but are too short and too light to ever be a Test 8 vs South Africa, France, Ireland, and England, Lakai could potentially be a Test player at 7 if he is allowed to focus on 7 for Hurricanes.
7 Go to commentsPencils “Thomas du Toit” into possible 2027 Bok squad.
1 Go to commentsDon’t see why Harrison makes the bench. Jones can play at 10 if needed, and there is a good case for starting her there to begin with if testing combinations. That would leave room for Sing on the bench
1 Go to commentsWhat a load of old bull!
1 Go to commentsOf the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.
29 Go to commentsIrish Rugby CEO be texting Andy Farrell “Andy, i found our next Kiwi Irishman”
5 Go to commentsI certainly don’t miss drinking beers at 8am in the morning watching rugby games being played in NZ.
2 Go to commentsThis looks like a damage limitation exercise for Wales, keeping back some of their more effective players for the last 20/25 minutes to try and counter England’s fresh legs so the Red Roses don’t rack up a big score.
1 Go to commentsVery unlikely the Bulls will beat Leinster in Dublin. It would be different in Pretoria.
1 Go to commentsI think it is a dangerous path to go down to ban a player for the same period that a player they injured takes to recover. Players would be afraid to tackle anyone. I once tackled my best friend at school in a practice match and sprained his ankle. I paid for it by having to play fly-half instead of full-back for the rest of that season’s fixtures.
5 Go to comments