Revitalised Finn Russell offers reassurance over Scotland retirement as he explains benefits of break

Finn Russell has vowed to play for Scotland for as long as possible and is eyeing a prominent role in the national team for the 2027 World Cup.

Russell, who is currently Scotland’s co-captain under head coach Gregor Townsend, has been revitalised by a summer break after being stood down from the recent tour to North and South America in order to mentally refresh ahead of a season that he hopes ends with the Lions’ tour to Australia.

Russell believes he is in the “best shape for a long time” after his time away from rugby, in stark contrast to a few years ago when the stand-off felt burnt out by the rugby treadmill, resulting in a loss of form, a weight gain of eight kilos and self-reflection over his international future.

Now at Bath, the ex-Glasgow Warriors talisman views retirement as a distant prospect and plans on being in Australia in 2027. “I’ll be turning 35 during the next World Cup and I’m definitely planning on making that tournament,” said Russell via Press Association, at an event hosted by TNT Sports. “I am 32 next month and everyone is asking ‘what are you going to do after?’. But I’m thinking I’ve still got six or seven years to go.

Finn Russell wants to play for Scotland at the 2027 World Cup. | SNS Group

“I’ve not got any notion of retiring any time soon, from either rugby or international rugby. I’m going to play as long as I can. Some players might have an idea that at 34 they will call it a day and get a job, but as long as I’m still enjoying it and playing well, there’s no point in me stopping.

“You get a lot of lows in sport but the highs you get you can’t get anywhere else. And having young kids now, I’d love for them to be old enough to remember some of my career. So I might have to play until I’m 45 if I have another one!”

Russell has been building a property portfolio in Scotland to provide financial security in retirement, funded by a Bath contract that earns him a reported £1million every year. The move has rewarded Bath too, given that in his first season Russell helped steer the club into the Gallagher Premiership final, where they lost narrowly to Northampton. When the time does come to hang up the boots, Russell revealed coaching could be on the cards.

“I just want to set everything up while I am playing so I can finish when I want to and not be forced into something,” Russell said. “If I was to do coaching, I would like to be a consultant coach, helping younger 10s coming through.

“I have got a slightly different mindset to a lot of players. I can make a mistake and as I’ve done it, I’ve forgotten about it pretty much. Trying to get that mindset across to others is something I would quite like because a lot of young players go into their shell quite quickly.”

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