Gregor Townsend called Finn Russell to tell him he wouldn’t feature in this weekend’s Calcutta Cup game against England, but the dialogue remains open for the absent star stand-off to get back for the last three games of the Guinness Six Nations.
“It was a conversation” said the head coach in response to a question to whether it had been a positive conversation between the pair, after Russell’s omission from the squad for breaching team protocols prior to the Ireland game.
The “official” sanction for Russell’s transgression – refusing to leave the hotel bar on the day the squad assembled – was just one game, but it was always likely to be at least two given the importance Townsend puts on continuity from week to week.
The head coach said a re-assessment after the England game would determine whether Russell or any other of those missing from the first two games would come into the squad, but stressed the importance of “cohesion” in the Six Nations campaign.
“That was always going to be the case,” he said of the decision not to change the squad. “We were lucky we didn’t pick up any injuries at the weekend, so the squad that had worked together for two weeks were the squad that were going to go into this game.
“Cohesion is such an important element of success in international rugby, we wanted to carry that one from the first week.”
He was certain Russell wanted to play for Scotland, he continued, but the re-assessment would come before the Italy game, after the tournament’s first fallow week.
“We have two weeks before the Italy game and most guys will go back to their clubs,” he said. “Finn will be playing and there will be dialogue during that week, or the weekend after he plays and we’ll see where we are.
“Whoever comes into our squad has to be aligned to what the team stands for and the standards of that team, and I’m talking about anybody, not one person in particular. In just in the same way there’s a possibility that Sam Skinner and Matt Fagerson will be back in the next couple of weeks.
“I know players are desperate to play for Scotland. The national team is the pinnacle and Six Nations reminds people what a fantastic thing is to play for your country. But there’s got to be certain standard you have to live up to get that opportunity.”
Scotland have made one change to England’s five after both teams lost their opening games at the weekend. For Scotland, Magnus Bradbury replaces Nick Haining at No 8.