Head coach Gregor Townsend has swallowed his pride and recalled Finn Russell to the Scotland squad for the third Autumn Test against New Zealand.
The British Lion, capped 63 times for Scotland, was omitted from the squad named prior to the four-test series last month. Townsend cited “form” as the reason for preferring Blair Kinghorn, Adam Hastings and Ross Thompson as his squad stand-offs.
However Hastings has now been returned to his club Gloucester after suffering head and knee injuries during the 28-12 win over Fiji at the weekend. After medical assessments were undertaken on Sunday and Monday, the call went out to Russell.
A major U-turn
Finn Russell joins the Scotland squad with Adam Hastings returning to his club. George Turner remains with the team as preparations continue for Sunday’s game against New Zealand.#AsOne pic.twitter.com/1pbyykIOKe
— Scottish Rugby (@Scotlandteam) November 7, 2022
He’s due to arrive at the squad camp at Oriam later on Monday. But he’s still unlikely to start against the All Blacks.
The controversial decision to omit the fan favourite brought a heap of criticism on Townsend. Scotland have won just one test of the five in which Kinghorn, clearly now the coach’s preferred 10, has started.
It is a major U-turn by Townsend and illustrative of recent muddled thinking by the under-pressure head coach.
Russell had hardly been in poor form for his club Racing 92 this season. He has been outstanding in their last three games since he was dropped by Scotland.
The 30-year-old had a mixed Six Nations in the spring but was carrying an injury that required surgery after the championship finished.
He was “rested” from the summer tour to Argentina. But there had been continuing rumours he and Townsend’s relationship was strained again.
In 2020, after a difficult World Cup campaign, Russell walked out of a training camp for the Six Nations and missed the entire championship. He returned to the ranks in the autumn of that year with both he and Townsend saying they’d settled their differences.
He started the majority of tests over the next 18 months before Kinghorn – who has been playing at 10 for just over a year – was picked against Ireland in the final match of this year’s Six Nations.
Don’t expect him to start on Sunday
Don’t expect Russell to start against the All Blacks.
He hasn’t been involved closely with the team for nearly eight months. He won’t be up to speed with the team’s strategies developed over the summer and the first three weeks of squad sessions.
Kinghorn remains Townsend’s favoured stand-off. He said only last week that he and his management team were “massive believers” in the Edinburgh player.
However, at least Russell is in the squad and one injury away from getting back on the field.
The idea that he was the fourth best 10 available to Scotland was always ludicrous.
Townsend even refused to dismiss calling up 20-year-old Northampton stand-off Fin Smith – who hasn’t even decided whether he’ll play for Scotland or England yet – which was utterly preposterous.
Russell may not be the complete answer to Scotland’s laboured displays of late. But Scotland discarding a player of his quality when options are so limited was almost beyond reason.
Conversation