Townsend sheds a little more light on Finn Russell walk out
Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has revealed the door is not closed on Finn Russell returning during the Guinness Six Nations, but warned the fly-half must show he is a team player.
The 27-year-old was disciplined for a breach of team protocol following an incident at the team hotel on January 19 when he was involved in a late-night drinking session.
Russell turned down an offer to stay in camp and help Scotland prepare for Saturday’s opener at the Aviva Stadium against Ireland, instead playing for his club Racing 92 last weekend.
As Andy Farrell prepares to name his team for Saturday's Six Nations game against Scotland, @CiaranKennedy_ looks at the big calls facing the new Ireland head coach.https://t.co/90XfUqm0kz
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It was a decision which led to speculation he may not feature at all in the tournament, but that could change.
“The door is open for any player,” Townsend said. “Obviously he is unavailable not because of injury, he is not available because of what went on and there has got to be a link to where he would be in terms of is he with the team?
“Is he able to live up to the standards expected of a team player and a Scotland team player, but the focus is so much on us preparing for Ireland that these are questions for a later time.”
Townsend confirmed he held a “positive” meeting with Russell on Monday night, but the pair have not been in contact since Thursday when the 49-cap international left the Scotland camp.
Bad news for Les Bleus.https://t.co/b3DL7KthOJ
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He added: “I had a long meeting with Finn on Monday to discuss all manner of things.
“First of all obviously the consequences of his actions, of leaving camp on Sunday night and not being there on Monday, but it was a positive meeting.
“We left that meeting in a really good place and at the time I thought he would be back in camp later that week. It didn’t happen and we have moved on.
“In terms of where we are now as a team, because we have to prepare for Ireland, that is our focus and we will see after the Ireland game what happens.”
On the incident, Townsend said: “Finn was drinking and a couple of players said to him ‘stop drinking’.
“When I saw him around quarter to 12, he decided to leave and his parents picked him up and he left after a five minute conversation with me and we didn’t see him until the following evening.”
With no Greig Laidlaw, John Barclay, Tommy Seymour or Finn Russell, it will be a new-look Scotland in the Six Nations.https://t.co/BcFVChnWNq
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 27, 2020
After a difficult World Cup, Scotland’s preparation for the Six Nations has not been smooth with wing Darcy Graham also suffering a knee injury after Russell’s disciplinary breach.
Hooker Fraser Brown described the mood in camp as excellent and said: “Most of the players were aware by Monday.
“It is one of those situations where as a group of players we have certainly not performed well on the pitch over the last couple of years so all we wanted to do was have a set of standards where we all pull in the same direction.
“The idea is everyone in this squad buys into that. It was unfortunate what happened on Sunday, but we just want a group of guys that are all here pulling in the same direction and wanting to achieve on and off the pitch together.”
Russell’s absence has led to many writing off Scotland’s chances of causing an upset away to Ireland on Saturday.
But Brown hit back at that talk and discussed the likely replacement for the Racing 92 fly-half in Glasgow team-mate Adam Hastings.
Born to stand out ?? pic.twitter.com/iI6j4NEIoo
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He added: “I think that is a bit disingenuous to the other players in our squad.
“You can’t get away from the fact Finn is a quality rugby player, but Gregor spoke earlier about the form of Adam and I think he has been fantastic at Glasgow.
“Playing with him week in, week out I have been lucky enough to see the development in his game and not just in the last month, but from last season. I think he is playing so well.
“We have still got plenty of quality operators in our squad and the focus for us from last week up to this Saturday is how we put the best team on the park and how we can produce our best rugby.”
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Comments on RugbyPass
Don’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
9 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.
35 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.
2 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
35 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 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
35 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.
35 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.
17 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.
17 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.
35 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
35 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
1 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
35 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
17 Go to commentsNot good to hear Ulster described as “financially troubled”. Did not think it was getting to that level. I would hope the Irish system of spreading players of talent away from Leinster would kick in now. Better to have a Leinster fringe player with Ulster or Connacht, then getting only a few games a season in Dublin. 10, for example, would seem to be a case for spreading the talent. I would not be at all adverse to a SA man coming in as head coach/DR. Ludeke is worth trying. Certainly got a long and impressive coaching career at this level…..149 games in SR, then Japan, 30 years experience. And Ulster’s ledger of successful SA coaches and players is on the positive side. Is talk of Ruan Pienaar interested in coming back as a coach…..could be a good combination with Ludeke. And Pienaar and family would have no settling in to do, one would judge. He loved life in Ulster when there, by all reports.
1 Go to comments