Huw Jones backs Adam Hastings as Scotland try to put Finn Russell affair behind them

Huw Jones has insisted that the Scotland squad have managed to put the Finn Russell controversy behind them this week – and that the players are fully behind Adam Hastings as he prepares to take over Russell’s role as starting stand-off against Ireland on Saturday.
Scotland centre Huw Jones insists that none of the players has been unduly perturbed the departure of Finn Russell. Picture: SNS/SRU.Scotland centre Huw Jones insists that none of the players has been unduly perturbed the departure of Finn Russell. Picture: SNS/SRU.
Scotland centre Huw Jones insists that none of the players has been unduly perturbed the departure of Finn Russell. Picture: SNS/SRU.

The exclusion of Russell on disciplinary grounds from the team’s opening Six Nations match may have continued to dominate discussion back here in Scotland. But according to Jones, the squad, who have been preparing in Valencia this week, have been able to focus entirely on the task in hand.

“I would say the media and the public are making more of a meal of the whole story than us, to be honest,” the Glasgow Warriors centre insisted yesterday. “If you ask the players, none of us are really that bothered. The focus is on us and the guys that are in the squad. As soon as Finn left we all just got behind Adam and we focused on the weekend.”

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Asked to expand on those comments, Jones accepted that supporters had a right to be concerned by the omission of Russell. But he also mounted a strong defence of Hastings, expressing his confidence in his Glasgow team-mate’s ability to make the most of his opportunity in Dublin in what will be only his eighth Test start.

“It’s obviously not great for the supporters: Finn is a fan favourite and all the supporters want to see him playing. He’s a world-class player,” said Jones. “For any team, when Finn’s not there you’ll notice it and miss him.

“What I was saying was that we as players cannot get hung up on that. That’s something for the fans and the media to discuss. For us, we can’t focus on that, we have to focus on the game – the guys who are actually in camp and the guys who are playing.

“Adam has been going really well this week. As a squad we’re all behind him and I think he’s going to go really well.

“He’s a quality player and he’s not had a lot of games at international level. He has that start against Russia at the World Cup when he went very well, but this can be a great opportunity for him. He’s been in great form for Glasgow and has had a couple of really good games. This could be the opportunity that sets him off.

“He’s made progress in the 10 role this season and won young player of the year for the Pro14 last season. Off the back of that he has matured a lot and his game management is still as good. He’s still the same silky player he was last season, but he’s added more to his game and has been brilliant this season – and he’s a pretty good defender as well. I think he has all the attributes he needs. With the team around him he can go very well.”

While Hastings cannot have expected only a couple of weeks ago to be in the starting line-up, Jones revealed that as recently as a month ago he did not even expect to be recalled to the squad following his omission by head coach Gregor Townsend from the World Cup. Having said that, he had always remained confident that once he had a run of games for Glasgow his best form would return; that duly happened, his defence being notably sharper – even if he believes that side of his game has been unduly maligned.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been a bad defender,” he explained. “There have been times, obviously, when I’ve missed tackles in games. It happens to everyone and some of mine have been in open field where there’s an easy run to the try line. That obviously looks pretty bad. But other ones have been system errors where I’ve been left out in the cold.

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“Getting cut from the World Cup squad was pretty shit. I was obviously really disappointed about that. But since then I’ve put it behind me and moved on.

“Me being left out of the World Cup was partly because they wanted to pick a defensively strong squad and maybe they didn’t see me as that. Maybe a couple of seasons ago I was all about attack and maybe that’s why I didn’t get selected for the World Cup. Off the back of that I’ve become a more rounded player and hopefully that will see me in good stead and I’d like to stay in the jersey for as long as I can.”