Finn Russell: Scotland 'blessed' to have player of his ability

Scotland are “blessed” to have the quality of a player like Finn Russell.

Scotland's Finn Russell hits a second half penalty. (Photo by Ross Parker / SNS Group)

The 29-year-old was key in Scotland’s 20-17 win over England as Gregor Townsend’s men got their Six Nations campaign off to a flying start, retaining the Calcutta Cup for the first time in 38 years.

Russell displayed his maturity as a player as well as his varied ability.

“He’s been around for a while now," former Wales star Sam Warburton said. “He was on the Lions tour five years ago. He's been at the top of his game now for quite some time.

"People will think Finn Russell is a bag of tricks but he’s actually started to manage games really well. Not just now, for the last two, three, four years. He’s a bit more pragmatic, he kicks a bit but at the same time he can always go back to his innate instinct of just playing.

"Scotland are blessed to have a player of his ability and he’s been great for Scotland.”

Former Scotland captain John Barclay was in awe of his confidence in his kicking and his awareness to spot England’s weakness when down to 14 men at a crucial point in the game and took advantage of Luke Cowan-Dickie’s yellow card which resulted in the penalty he converted, ultimately winning the game.

“Those small things make such a big difference," he said.

"The confidence and accuracy to call that cross field kick twice for the penalty try when you are seven points down with ten minutes to go. To actually go ahead and execute that is a real testament to his character, confidence and his skillset.”

To celebrate the start of the Six Nations we're offering 30% off ALL new annual digital subscriptions to The Scotsman. Read Scotland's best rugby coverage, expert analysis and gain unlimited access to award-winning Scottish journalism. Subscribe today using code SIXNTS30.