FINN omenon
FINN RUSSELL is one of those players who divides opinion. Take the views of two elite-level coaches. Northampton Saints’ Chris Boyd describes the Racing 92 and Scotland fly-half as a “magician”, adding: “When he is on his game he can cast a pretty wicked spell.”
In contrast, South Africa DoR Rassie Erasmus favours a more pragmatic player at ten. “If people want to talk about our style of rugby, great because it shows they’re interested,” he says. “If they want to say it’s boring great, but I will take it on the chin and say, ‘Yes, you’re right, but I don’t give a s*** and I’ll still pick Handré Pollard over Finn Russell because I want to win’.”
And opinions can change quickly. After the first round of the Six Nations, Russell was hailed for the vision to manipulate England’s backfield with his kicking game, which led to the decisive penalty try and back-to-back Calcutta Cup wins for Scotland for the first time since the 1980s. ‘Finn-omenal’ said some. Three short weeks later, he was branded “pathetic” by former Ireland wing Shane Horgan for a lack of effort in chasing a kick sent towards Antoine Dupont, the scrum-half’s break leading to
