'Finn Russell is my favourite 10 in the world' - All Blacks star gushes over recalled Scotland stand-off

All Blacks playmaker Richie Mo’unga says that he was delighted to discover that he could find himself lining up against Finn Russell on Sunday afternoon, after his old pal was recalled to Scotland’s Autumn Test squad as a replacement to the injured Adam Hastings on Monday.

Richie Mo'unga of New Zealand takes a conversion during the weekend win over Wales. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

“I love Finn – during the last couple of years he has been my favourite ten in the world,” gushed the New Zealander. “He is someone who can play any type of game, with his kicking, his running and his passing.

“I met him early on when he was in Christchurch and we played each other at club level so we go way back,” Mo’unga added, recalling the season Russell spent in New Zealand as part of Scottish Rugby’s Macphail Scholarship programme back in 2013.

“We were in the IHPU – the international high-performance unit – at Canterbury together and he’s a top bloke. He has good chat and he’s funny.

“To see him grow as a player, and the confidence and flair that he has which separates him from any other ten, has been great.”

Despite his obvious admiration for Russell, Mo’unga insisted that the Racing 92 man’s involvement won’t change the way New Zealand approach Sunday’s match.

“For me there is probably more excitement that I could have a match-up against him,” he continued. “I’d like to play against him because I’m all for admiring great players.

“You don’t have to say too much about him because his highlights reel speaks for itself. He has a lot of tools in his toolbox that he can pull out at any time of the game.

“I think it will benefit Scotland hugely having him in camp even if he’s not playing because having him around will lift the team.”

New Zealand hammered Wales 55-23 last Saturday and have never lost a Test match against Scotland in 31 previous meetings, but Mo’unga promised that there is no danger of the tourists getting ahead of themselves.

“We’ve left the Principality Stadium and moved on to the next job,” he said. “We know how important it is to be grounded again to give ourselves the best chance of back-to-back performances that we’re proud of.”