Finn Russell factor and how Edinburgh can use insider knowledge to defuse threat

Edinburgh's Scotland contingent are all too aware of the threat posed by Finn Russell of Bath. | Getty Images

Sean Everitt hopes a little inside knowledge can help Edinburgh defuse the threat posed by Finn Russell when Bath come to Hive Stadium for the semi-finals of the EPCR Challenge Cup on Saturday.

It’s 10 years since the capital side last reached this stage of a European competition and they are going to have to be at their very best to overcome England's outstanding club side and emulate the class of 2015.

That Edinburgh team reached the final at Twickenham Stoop a decade ago but were pipped by Greig Laidlaw’s Gloucester.

Edinburgh's Scotland contingent are all too aware of the threat posed by Finn Russell of Bath. | Getty Images

Bath have been burning up the Premiership this season and have already secured top spot for the play-offs with three rounds remaining. Russell has been pulling the strings at 10 but Everitt is acutely aware that they can’t afford to focus solely on the chief playmaker.

There are plenty of threats elsewhere but it is Russell who makes the team tick and the coach hopes that having so many of the Scotland stand-off’s international team-mates in his Edinburgh side will help them nullify the danger.

Ali Price knows him better than most. The Edinburgh scrum-half used to share a flat with Russell during their days together at Glasgow Warriors and the pair formed a formidable halfback pairing for club and country for a number of years. Everitt also believes the experience of playing against South African international fly-halves in recent weeks will be beneficial.

“He's a world class player, one of the best in the world,” Everitt said of Russell. “We can't focus on one individual but he's influential in how they play. He's influential in the results they have against teams.

“At the end of the day, we've done well against top teams this year, at home particularly, so we’re just looking forward to it.

“Ali was Finn’s partner for Scotland for many a Test match,” said Everitt. “We do know him well and we know what he can bring.

“If you look at the 10s that we've played against over the last four weeks, guys like Jordan Hendrikse [of the Sharks] who's a Springbok, Johan Goosen [of the Bulls] who's a Springbok, we've had enough opportunity to learn from 10s like that.

“Finn's in a class of his own at the moment but, as I say we can't focus on one guy. We just need to contain that whole team.”

Johann van Graan’s side are 15 points clear of second-placed Leicester at the top of the Gallagher Premiership standings and brushed aside Newcastle at the weekend, winning 55-19 at the Rec. They even had the luxury of keeping Russell on the bench until the latter stages of Saturday’s game to ensure he would be fresh for the semi-final.

“Yes, they've been the form team [in England] by a long shot,” added Everitt. “We had a good look at their game on the weekend against Newcastle. They’ve put some strong opposition away as well. They've got a good all-round team defensively, their kicking game as well as with their attack.

Finn Russell was on the bench for Bath for the Gallagher Premiership match against Newcastle Falcons at the weekend. | Getty Images

“Obviously a threat there is Finn Russell. We're well aware of that. But they do have threats across the board. They've got a good tight five. They've got a strong maul when they use it in the 22 and it's an area that we need to be sharp on.”

While Bath have been beating all before them domestically - they’ve also collected the Premiership Cup this season - their form in Europe has been mixed. They lost three out of four of their group stage games in the Investec Champions Cup and finished fifth in Pool 2 behind Leinster, La Rochelle, Benetton and Clermont Auvergne. That meant they dropped into the second-tier Challenge Cup where they recorded big wins over Pau and Gloucester to progress to the semi-finals.

Everitt said he wasn’t reading too much into Bath’s defeats in the top-tier competition.

“Not at all. Anything can go wrong in the Champions Cup,” said the Edinburgh coach. “It's a tough competition. We've seen some of the other Premiership teams come up short there, and by big margins. Probably not surprised about that. But at the same time, they'll be willing to get their hands on a trophy as well.

Ali Price is a former flatmate of Finn Russell's. | AFP via Getty Images

“Johan's been there now for his third year and he's pulled the team together well. It's going to be a great game for us and a good measure to see where we are as far as the English Premiership is concerned. It's a big opportunity.”

Edinburgh haven’t troubled the latter stages of tournaments too often in the pro era. They got to the semi-finals of the Guinness Pro14 in 2020 but squandered a lead late on to lose at home to Ulster. And apart from their appearance in the Challenge Cup final a decade ago, there was a memorable run to the semi-finals of the Champions Cup in 2012.

“We’re excited about having the opportunity of playing in a semi-final and obviously an opportunity to get into a final,” said Everitt. “We're one of eight teams playing this weekend [across the two European competitions] and we're really excited about that.

“I was chatting to Hamish [Watson] earlier today. It's only the third semi-final that he's been involved in in his long career. So it puts that all in perspective how big the game is for us.

“When you get dumped out of a semi-final you feel like you haven't achieved anything. I've had experience of that when you get into the final. You've got everything to play for but you've reached the pinnacle and we're not there yet.

“So it's a massive game for us to be able to enjoy.”