Here is my Finn Russell lowdown and what it is like to play right beside him for Scotland

White thriving on pressure of supplying Scotland maverick

What is it like to play right next to one of the most flamboyant players in world rugby and one of Scotland's most creative stand-offs of all time?

Ben White is arguably the best person to ask, given that he has been scrum-half largely tasked with feeding Russell since he became a regular in the Scotland set-up in 2022.

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Behind another mercurial rugby player in Baptiste Serin for the majority of this season at club level with Toulon due to first form and then a soleus injury over the winter, White is now back fully fit. He is raring to go for Scotland, relishing the prospect of teaming up alongside Russell as the national team aims to make a serious impact in this edition of the Six Nations.

Finn Russell and Ben White (right) during a Scotland training session at the Oriam.  (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)Finn Russell and Ben White (right) during a Scotland training session at the Oriam.  (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)
Finn Russell and Ben White (right) during a Scotland training session at the Oriam. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group) | SNS Group / SRU

It would be a surprise if White was not named at No 9 beside co-captain Russell at 10 for Saturday's curtain-raiser against Italy at Murrayfield. Head coach Gregor Townsend more often than not puts the duo together. While Russell has all the tricks in the book, White is a steady, consistent presence next to him, making sure his teammate gets clean ball to work with. George Horne and Jamie Dobie are the other two options at scrum-half, but White is in pole position.

There is a certain irony as White holds court on Russell at Scotland's lodgings on the outskirts of Edinburgh, the team's poster boy strolls past. There is no earwigging, and his presence does not put White off as he extols the virtues of his teammate.

"Obviously Finn is a brilliant player and over the years playing with him, I’ve started to get an understanding of how he plays," explains White. "Finn pushes the envelope a little bit, he gets very flat at the line and wants the ball in tough places at times. That is great for me. The more I train and play with him, I understand how he wants the ball, when he wants it. With that time that you play with each other, you get a connection, to understand what he is trying to do and what he is thinking – as hard as that is at times!

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“But I enjoy playing with Finn. He communicates very well, he is a very relaxing player to play with. Even if things seem to be going wrong, or we’ve not got great control, he is very calming and that has helped me definitely to improve that part of my game and to be calm in the way you speak and think about the game. He is really good at that, so it’s been great.”

Scotland's Ben White in action during Autumn Nations Series win over Australia at Murrayfield in November. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)Scotland's Ben White in action during Autumn Nations Series win over Australia at Murrayfield in November. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)
Scotland's Ben White in action during Autumn Nations Series win over Australia at Murrayfield in November. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group) | SNS Group / SRU

White thrives on the pressure of playing next to Russell, knowing that he has to give him the best pass possible to start off Scotland's attacks. “Some say he is a maverick but I think he understands the game very well," continues White. "He reviews teams very well. He backs his ability and he’s not afraid to pull the trigger. You have to be absolutely on it every time you pass the ball to him. I remember throwing one pass to him which checked him straight off a lineout because he was getting so flat off the line.

"That’s what pushed me - I have to be accurate to allow him to do his thing. I know my job is also to make sure the team is flowing at speed, moving from ruck to ruck. The more accurate I am with my passing game, it allows the team to flow better. That comes from training and being accurate there, knowing your role and then playing freely in the games.”

White, now 26, will be contesting his fourth Six Nations with Scotland. “I’m getting on a bit! It goes fast," he jokes. The former England Under-20 man is approaching the peak years of his career and knows that this is the time for him and the majority of his Scotland peers to achieve something at international level.

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“We have to really step up this year," White says. "I think our game has evolved over the years, even from when I’ve come in, and I think we have some different elements of our games, the way we can adapt, better than we did before. And I think that’s a huge growth in our game.

Ben White of RC Toulon during the Investec Champions Cup match against Sale Sharks at Salford Community Stadium on January 19, 2025 in Salford, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)Ben White of RC Toulon during the Investec Champions Cup match against Sale Sharks at Salford Community Stadium on January 19, 2025 in Salford, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
Ben White of RC Toulon during the Investec Champions Cup match against Sale Sharks at Salford Community Stadium on January 19, 2025 in Salford, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images) | Getty Images

“Especially as half-backs it’s being able to have the recognition within the game - when we need to change the styles that we’re playing and pull on the different things. That’s probably something in training that’s been coming on and improving. I think if we do that and pull those elements together, we can give ourselves a great chance of winning games, which is what’s important.

“We can talk and talk and talk and talk, or we can actually just crack on. One thing that we’ve said is having ownership as a playing group on driving standards every day in training, driving our accuracy in terms of our knowledge of our roles. And, when we played in November, making sure that when we had that challenge against Australia that we put a marker down and say that we are going to compete with this and win this match. I think the ownership in the group to put in a performance on an individual level and also a team level.

“Having knowledge within the group, and that self-ownership and also as a team, will give us the best chance of doing something. But it’s very easy to sit and talk and say look at the big picture. But fundamentally in the Six Nations, if you slip up once or twice it’s done. So we have to be really accurate and honest with ourselves and take ownership, and that will allow us to have a good opportunity of doing something.”

As White says, Scotland can talk and talk, but now it's about walking the walk, starting against Italy. A nation holds its breath.

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