08:07 AM
Finn Russell: ‘I’m not a maverick – I can adapt to whatever Warren Gatland wants me to be’
By Daniel Schofield
Finn Russell knows his maverick reputation precedes him. He is also aware that he is not perceived to be a ‘Warren Gatland fly-half’ like Dan Biggar and Owen Farrell. Yet ahead of the Lions’ opening game on South African soil on Saturday, the Scot insists “I’ll adapt to whatever he wants” to get in the Test team.
Despite his sparkling form for Scotland and Racing 92 for much of the past two years, Russell was considered by many to be a long shot for selection in the Lions squad. If Biggar and Farrell fit Gatland’s prototype of a fly half – rugged, reliable, resilient – like a hand in glove then Russell seems as snug a fit as a sweaty sackcloth.
Russell just seems too unpredictable, too flashy and too risky to be a Gatland selection – not withstanding his call-up as part of the ‘Geography Six’ in 2017 – before he was included in this year’s squad ahead of Jonathan Sexton, a past stalwart.
If his impact four years ago was limited to five minutes and being trivia-question material then Russell’s minimum target now is being the Test starter against the world champions. “We’ve all got one goal, which is playing in the series,” Russell said. “Everyone has been training their hardest, and the decision is up to Gats and the coaches as to who they pick in the Tests.”
That may well mean eschewing the type of flamboyant excellence you typically associate with Russell. Yet as the 28-year-old points out he will only push the envelope as far as his coaches with Racing and Scotland – who just so happens to also be the Lions attack coach – allow him to. When he needs to put the brakes on, he can.
It was telling that Gatland referenced Russell’s performance in the final Six Nations match against France, which was efficient rather than eye-catching. “In Test matches you’ve got to control the game tactically with kicking,” Russell said. “The defences are so good at coming up hard. In that game (Scotland v France) I kicked more than normal, but it was based on what we wanted to do to try and beat them.
“I was chatting to Gats quickly about the England game a couple of years ago, where we kicked more than England in that game. There’s a lot of running rugby, but we can kick tactically as well. You’ve got to have the balance of both.
“We’ll have a gameplan to play against them, whether it’s a kicking game or running game I’ll have to adapt to whatever he wants. I’d like to think I can do both. I like to run the ball a little bit, but have to adapt. In Test matches you have to play slightly differently – in the Six Nations I kicked it more than normally. In France there is a big focus on running the ball, holding the ball. Against South Africa we’ll have to play a lot more tactically and force pressure on them through the kicking game.”