Scotland talisman Finn Russell takes footballer compliment and reveals 'big threat' to Bath

Finn Russell has referred to himself as the Lionel Messi of rugby but Michael Olise might be a better comparison, according to his Bath team-mate Beno Obano.

The English champions watched in admiration on Tuesday as Olise excelled for Bayern Munich against Paris Saint-Germain in what was one of the greatest games in European Cup history.

PSG won the Champions League semi-final first leg 5-4 and Russell felt suitably inspired ahead of his own big Euro clash this weekend. Bath are taking on holders Union Bordeaux Bègles away in the Investec Champions Cup semis on Sunday and Russell sees similarities in the two codes, particularly with the way the elite teams play in transition.

Finn Russell and Bath are in the semi-finals of the Champions Cup. | Getty Images

Olise’s brilliance on the right wing moved Obano to liken him to Russell, with the Bath prop calling the Scotland stand-off “awe-inspiring”. Russell was happy to take the compliment and revealed himself to be well versed in French football from his time with Racing 92.

“I don’t support a football team but I used to live in Paris so I went to a few of the PSG games,” Russell said. “That game on Tuesday was the best of the best in football and that’s effectively what we are playing in this weekend. The stakes are high. It’s not just another game, it’s a semi-final of a European competition.

“The way PSG and Bayern counterattacked with transition ball and the speed they got up the pitch and the chances they made, that is also one of Bordeaux’s big strengths, whether through an offload or a kick. One of the main things will be trying to contain their attacking strengths.

“We’ve had a few high-scoring games this year. I know Bordeaux have as well, but semi-finals are slightly different. It’s about staying in every moment and not allowing it to become that loose game, that end-to-end sort of stuff. It becomes risky to have that in a semi-final.”

Russell wants to get hands on Champions Cup

The Champions Cup remains an elusive prize for Russell. He came close a few times with Racing, most notably in 2020 when they lost in the final to Exeter, and he is under no illusion about how tough it will be at the Stade Atlantique Bordeaux Métropole. Matthieu Jalibert, his opposite number, is a player he particularly admires but Russell said he would tap into a bruising experience with Scotland in the autumn. He was part of the side which blew a 21-0 lead against Argentina at Murrayfield and lost 33-24. Russell said he regretted kicking a penalty while the Scots led 21-12.

“Jalibert plays with no fear. He is a big threat to us,” Russell said. “They are a great attacking team. When they get momentum, how do you stop it? It’s about feel. I look back to the Argentina game in November. How could we have stopped that? We thought three points was enough but it wasn’t. There’s things that I have learnt from that game.

“We want to play as fast as possible. It is just finding the right times to slow it down. If they get a turnover and kick a 50:22, we need to slow it down. If we get two or three penalties in a row, are they going to try to slow it down? It goes both ways.

“They’re probably the best in the world with turnover ball and attacking a broken field. If we can limit the amount of turnovers we give, then that will limit some of their game.”

“This game is probably the most pressure we will have in this tournament,” added Russell. “I find when you get to semis, there is almost more pressure. Once you reach the final, you can be yourself and play to win because you’ve already made it.

“It is such a hard tournament to win. Having got so close in 2020, I would love to win it. I look back and think we should have won that game. I threw an interception. I thought it was on, so I threw it. We had much better stats than them but they won. That game slipped away. It makes you want it more.”