Finn_Russell

Finn Russell

Finn Russell

Scotland international and British & Irish Lions rugby union player

Finn Alastair Russell (born 23 September 1992) is a Scottish professional rugby union player who plays as a fly-half for Premiership Rugby club Bath and captains the Scotland national team.

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Russell made his international debut against the United States in 2014, and has since played over fifty test matches. He has also represented the British & Irish Lions during their tours of New Zealand in 2017 and South Africa in 2021, playing in one test.[1] In 2024, Russell featured in the Netflix documentary Six Nations Full Contact.[2]

Early life

Russell was born into a sporting family. His father played a lot of racket sports, and worked in sports administration, including as Director of Domestic Rugby for the Scottish Rugby Union. His grandparents were international badminton players, his uncle and great-grandfather played Cricket for Scotland and his brothers are also noted rugby players.[3]

Russell started playing rugby in Wallace High School in Stirling. Russell did not feel drawn to academic work. After secondary school, he pursued an apprenticeship for three years as a stonemason, in a business owned by a family friend, whilst his rugby developed.[4][5]

In 2013 Russell received the John Macphail Scholarship, linked with New Zealand's Lincoln University, spending 15 weeks in New Zealand's South Island playing for local clubs in the Christchurch area. He benefited from the facilities and specialist coaching offered by the Canterbury Rugby Football Union international high performance unit.[6]

Club career

Ayr

Russell initially played rugby at Stirling County, but in 2011 moved to second-flight Falkirk to improve his chances of first XV club rugby.[7] Russell was selected to play for Ayr after the IRB Championship tournament, helping them win the league and cup double in the 2012–13 season of the Scottish Premiership.[8][9] Russell joined Glasgow Warriors in 2012, but was injured in his first season.

Glasgow Warriors

Russell returned to Glasgow for the 2013/14 season. With Glasgow's top players away on international duty for the 2013 Six Nations Championship, Russell was named on the bench to face Zebre on 10 February 2013 as part of the 2012–13 Pro12 season, coming onto the field and making his professional debut at the 56th minute of the game. During the 2013–14 Pro12 season, Russell made his first start at the club, starting at Inside Centre against the Newport Gwent Dragons at Scotstoun Stadium on 22 November 2013. Glasgow head coach Gregor Townsend offered Russell a full-time contract with the club that began in the 2014–15 season.[10]

2014–15 also saw Russell play a prominent role in Glasgow's Pro12 title triumph. In the final match of the regular season, he scored 22 points (including two tries) in a bonus-point victory over Ulster which was needed to secure a home play-off.[11] The following week, against the same opposition, Russell's pass to D. T. H. van der Merwe in the 75th minute resulted in a try, tying the score at 14–14. Russell then scored the decisive conversion from a wide angle to send Glasgow into the final.[12]

In the final at Belfast's Ravenhill Stadium, Russell scored a try and four conversions in a 31–13 victory over Munster, as Glasgow won their maiden title.[13]

Racing 92

On 29 November 2017, it was announced that Russell would leave Glasgow Warriors at the end of the 2017–18 season to play for French club Racing 92, where he was to replace All Black Dan Carter who was moving to Japan.[14]

In December 2022 it was announced that Russell would join Bath Rugby after the 2023 Rugby World Cup. [15]

International career

Scotland

In 2012 Russell played at centre for Scotland at the World Rugby U20 Championships.[16] Russell earned his first call-up to the senior national team during Scotland's summer 2014 tour of North America, where he started in the matches against the United States and Canada. That autumn, he started in all three of Scotland's November Tests against Argentina, New Zealand and Tonga.

In 2014, Russell had what Scottish sportswriter Andy Newport called "a meteoric rise [that] saw the former Stirling County youngster blast his way into the national team in the space of six months."[4]

Russell established himself as Scotland's first-choice Number 10 during the 2015 Six Nations Championship, starting four of the team's five matches.[17] He missed the defeat to Italy through suspension, his sin-binning against Wales having been upgraded to a two-week ban following a citation (and unsuccessful appeal).[18] Russell scored his first international try in the final day defeat to eventual champions Ireland.[19]

Russell was selected in Scotland's 31-man squad for the 2015 Rugby World Cup, and scored a try in the team's opening match victory over Japan.[20]

The summer of 2017 began with Russell as part of Scotland's Southern Hemisphere tour. He created two tries in the opening match win over Italy in Singapore,[21] and followed this with a try of his own a week later during victory over Australia.[22]

Russell played in all five of Scotland's 2018 Six Nations Championship fixtures. During the 25-13 victory over England,[23] he threw an audacious pass on his own 22-yard line as part of an attack leading to a try scored by Sean Maitland. This piece of skill was subsequently described by many pundits as being one of the greatest of all-time.[24][25][26]

Russell played in four of Scotland's 2019 Six Nations Championship fixtures, missing the match against France due to injury. He scored a try and two conversions and played pivotal role in Scotland's come back against England to earn a 38-38 draw.

Russell played in three of Scotland's group matches at the 2019 Rugby World Cup scoring a try in the loss to Japan, as Scotland failed to qualify to the quarter finals.

In 2023 Russell was selected as one of two specialist stand offs, the other being Ben Healy, in Scotland's 33 player squad for the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.[27]

In 2024, Russell was named co-captain alongside Rory Darge for the 2024 Six Nations Championship

British & Irish Lions

Following an instrumental man-of-the-match performance for Scotland against Australia in Sydney, Russell was called up as a replacement to the 2017 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand.[28] He made a brief mid-week appearance during the 31-31 draw with Super Rugby champions Hurricanes[29] as replacement for Dan Biggar who had sustained a head injury, becoming Lion number #835.[30]

In 2021, Russell was selected in the 37-man squad for the Lions' tour to South Africa.[31] His first Lions points came when he kicked four conversions in the 7-54 victory over the Sharks.[32] Following an achilles tendon injury that kept him out of the first two Tests, he was selected on the bench for the decisive third Test match, coming on to the field after only 11 minutes to kick 11 points.[33][34] Russell's performance was widely praised, with former England scrum half Matt Dawson stating, “if he was an All Black, you’d be saying he’s the next Dan Carter, he’s that good”. [35]

Personal life

After secondary school, Russell worked for three years as a stonemason. He recalled that time in a 2015 interview with Newport:

On rainy days it could be pretty miserable. . . . It could be tough but I enjoyed it. I'd be making windowsills, door frames, fire places – even building walls. But compared to playing rugby, it's night and day. If I ever have a bad day at training, I think back to what it was like working in that cold shed.

Russell has been nicknamed 'Russell the Muscle' due to having a somewhat slender build for a modern-day rugby player, and has also been given the moniker 'White Chocolate' by teammate Simon Zebo.[36][37]

Russell has been in a relationship with Emma Canning, a Scottish heptathlete, since 2017. [38] In November 2022 Canning gave birth to the couple's first child, a daughter. [39]

Career statistics

List of international tries

More information No., Date ...

as of 14 March 2021

References

  1. [1]
    "Lions suffer agonising late series loss". BBC Sport.
  2. [2]
    "'Cheers Netflix, you've done me over there!'". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  3. [3]
    "Finn Russell from The Gazetteer for Scotland". Scottish-places.info. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  4. [4]
    Newport, Andy (2 February 2015). "Finn Russell, former stonemason, hopes to chisel out Six Nations success". The Herald. Glasgow. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  5. [5]
    "Interview: Finn Russell on his rapid career rise". Scotsman.com. 15 August 2015. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  6. [6]
    "Russell Receives John Macphail Scholarship". scottishrugby.org. Archived from the original on 14 February 2019. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  7. [7]
    McRae, Donald (31 January 2022). "Interview. Finn Russell: 'If I play at Gleneagles I can say: oh, I did work on that house'". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  8. [8]
    "Finn Russell on a roll with Glasgow pro contract". scotsman.com. 19 May 2021.
  9. [9]
    Russell was drafted to Ayr in the Scottish Premiership for the 2017–18 season Pro-player scheme, which seeks to increase integration between the BT Premiership and the professional game."Pro-player draft".
  10. [10]
    "BBC Sport – Glasgow Warriors: Finn Russell agrees two-year deal". BBC Sport.
  11. [11]
    Moffat, Colin. "BBC Sport – Pro12: Glasgow Warriors 32-10 Ulster". BBC Sport.
  12. [12]
    English, Tom. "BBC Sport – Pro12 semi-final: Glasgow Warriors beat Ulster 16-14". BBC Sport.
  13. [13]
    English, Tom. "BBC Sport – Pro12 final: Glasgow Warriors 31-13 Munster". BBC Sport.
  14. [14]
    "Finn Russell will join Racing 92 to replace Dan Carter at the season's end". ESPN (UK). 28 November 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  15. [15]
    "Finn Russell: Scotland fly-half to join Bath from Racing 92 next year". BBC Sport. 20 December 2022. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  16. [16]
    ""I almost feel more comfortable out there" - Finn Russell on playmaking, perceptions and fresh starts". SportsJOE.ie. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  17. [17]
    "RBS 6 Nations Fixtures & Results". rbs6nations.com.
  18. [18]
    "BBC Sport – Finn Russell: Scotland fly-half's appeal against suspension rejected". BBC Sport.
  19. [19]
    Burke, Andy. "BBC Sport – Six Nations 2015: Scotland 10-40 Ireland". BBC Sport.
  20. [20]
    "Rugby World Cup 2015: Scotland 45-10 Japan". Bbc.co.uk. 23 September 2015.
  21. [21]
    "Italy 13-34 Scotland: Scotland thump Italy in steamy Singapore". Sky Sports. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  22. [22]
    Agencies (17 June 2017). "Gregor Townsend hails Scotland's unity in hard-fought win over Australia". The Guardian.
  23. [23]
    "Scotland v England - 2018 Six Nations". Six Nations Guide.
  24. [24]
    "Finn Russell: Greatest pass ever?". SkySports.
  25. [25]
    "Is this pass of the century?". Bbc.co.uk. 26 February 2018.
  26. [26]
    "Finn Russell: Greatest pass ever? | Planet Rugby". Archived from the original on 26 March 2018. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
  27. [27]
    "Scotland squad named for Rugby World Cup 2023". Scottish Rugby Union.
  28. [28]
    Gray, James (17 June 2017). "Australia 19 – Scotland 24: Finn Russell celebrates Lions call with historic win". Express.co.uk.
  29. [29]
    Cleary, Mick; Morgan, Charlie (27 June 2017). "Lions 31 Hurricanes 31: Lawes and Henderson shine as Lions hold on in thrilling draw". The Telegraph.
  30. [30]
    "Player Numbers". Lionsrugby.com.
  31. [31]
    "Lions pick Simmonds but no Billy Vunipola". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
  32. [32]
    "Cell C Sharks 7-54 British and Irish Lions: Tourists overcome Covid uncertainty with composed win". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  33. [33]
    "Gatland makes sweeping changes". BBC Sport. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  34. [34]
    "South Africa 19-16 British & Irish Lions". BBC Sport. 6 August 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  35. [35]
    "Finn Russell 'the next Dan Carter'". PlanetRugby.com. 11 August 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  36. [36]
    "Downtime with… Scotland fly-half Finn Russell". 9 June 2021.
  37. [37]
    @lionsofficial (8 August 2021). "Thrown into the mix early on, how..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  38. [38]
    "Rugby hero Finn Russell dating beautiful heptathlete who partied with team after Calcutta Cup win". Daily Record. 27 February 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  39. [39]
    "Rugby world sends Finn Russell 'congratulations' messages after birth of first child". Ruck.co.uk. 27 November 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
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