World
Scotland great slams ‘lazy narrative’ of Finn Russell as Bath star proves English critics wrong
Former Scotland hooker Fraser Brown insists that Finn Russell has changed people’s “perceptions” following his performances for Bath this season.
The 34-year-old, who will retire at the end of the campaign after earning 61 national team caps, has been a team-mate of the fly-half for both club and country.
Russell and Brown were in the same Glasgow Warriors side that lifted the PRO12 title in 2015 while they have both played in many Scotland Tests together.
The Glasgow front-rower therefore knows the playmaker well and believes that there has been a “lazy narrative” from those in the Premiership around the sort of individual Russell is.
He joined English side Bath following the Rugby World Cup and has guided the West Countrymen to their first domestic final since 2015 after a series of impressive displays.
Maverick stereotype
“I think sometimes there can be a blinkered view down south that unless you’ve done it in the Premiership then you are not valued,” Brown wrote in a column for The Scotsman.
“Although Finn had been brilliant in France – and for Scotland – the fact that he hadn’t played in England meant some pundits remained unconvinced that he represented value for money for Bath.
“There was still this lazy narrative that he was a bit of a maverick and not the sort of player to lead you to a league title. He was the kind of stand-off who would win you games but also lose you them, the doubters said.
“And when he tried a cross-field kick on his own 10-metre line during the derby against Bristol in January which led to a try for the opposition, it added fuel to the critics’ fire.
“Fast forward four months and Bath are in the Premiership final against Northampton at Twickenham this Saturday and Finn is being talked about as the most complete 10 in the league. The turnaround in the perception of Finn is on a par with the turnaround in Bath’s fortunes and, of course, the two are inextricably linked.
“I expected Finn to have the impact at Bath that he has in terms of how they’re playing because he has this priceless ability to give his team-mates freedom to play. Alongside Ben Spencer, the Bath captain, the pair of them have created an unbelievable partnership at nine and 10.”
There has been a question mark about the fly-half’s consistency and his ability to control a game when the opportunities to weave his magic have not arisen, but Brown believes that is an incorrect view of Russell’s game.
‘Mature playmaker’
“Even when he’s not having the most Finn Russell-esque game, he can still be the mature playmaker who brings others into the contest,” he wrote.
“His ability, calmness and willingness to take risks removes the shackles from his team-mates and I think that’s been a huge part of Bath’s success this season. If your star player is unaffected by any mistake he might make then it allows others to play with freedom.
“He is portrayed as this maverick who does things off the cuff and plays in a very instinctive way but you don’t get to where Finn is if you don’t have a) the ability and b) the diligence and work ethic to make the most of your talents, and that’s not just on the pitch.
“He says himself that he’s not the biggest fan of the weights room but he has transformed that side of his game over the last few years. He’s always been a hard worker.”
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