Finn Russell isn’t quite so gallus to do “The Shuffle” as a response to the Haka on Saturday but the confidence gained from playing in Dan Carter’s backyard has been the making of the young Scotland fly-half.
Russell, still just 22, celebrated his part in Scotland’s win over Argentina by showing off his dance moves to the west stand and the TV cameras evidence of the youngster’s growing confidence in himself as much as his assured performance against the Pumas.
On Saturday he could face up to the All Black legend that is Carter, maybe the best 10 to have played the game, and it’s amazing to think just over a year ago he was still learning the position in Carter’s home of Canterbury, the hotbed of New Zealand rugby.
Russell went on a three-month MacPhail Scholarship, played with Lincoln University in Christchurch, and attended the Crusaders Super Rugby team high performance unit.
“The three months out there really brought me on,” he explained.
“I came back with so much confidence having played that expansive, open game and it gave me what I needed to break through at Glasgow.”
“Dan was having a sabbatical at the time, so while I saw him around it wasn’t too much. I went to an All Black test against France when I was there and it was Aaron Cruden and Beauden Barrett who were the 10s,” said Russell.
“But he has been the best 10 in the world for I don’t know how long, 10 years or something, so to get a run out against him if I am lucky enough to get it would be amazing for me. I would just love to have a go against the best 10 in the world.”
Russell came back from New Zealand and found himself third or even fourth in the queue for a starting slot at Glasgow, playing most of the first half of the season for Ayr in the club Premiership.
But chances started to filter his way, playing at 10 and 12, and he was an ever-present in the unbeaten run that took the Warriors all the way to the PRO12 final.
That got him on the tour in the summer, and after winning his first caps against the USA and Canada, he’s become a first choice for Vern Cotter.
“I did all I could do at Ayr until I got my break at the end of the year and got a chance to have a game, so I guess I took it,” he said.
“I’d played an expansive game for Lincoln and it’s a really good standard for semi-professional.
“That happens to be the way Vern likes to play as well so it all fits. For me Saturday was brilliant, it couldn’t have gone any better. My first time playing at Murrayfield and to get a win the way we did.
“My dance at the end was just a bit of fun and showed how much I had enjoyed it, but I knew the cameras were on me and a few of the guys were saying “do the shuffle”, so I hope the crowd enjoyed it.”
The shuffle is part of his pre-match dressing room routine just to relax himself, but it certainly engaged the crowd on Saturday and Russell wants to get the Murrayfield stands, hopefully sold out, right into the game with their team on Saturday.
“The crowd give us so much energy when we are playing and encourage us to give a good performance and then we can give that back to them,” he continued.
“You could really feel it on Saturday when we were playing well, it was amazing. The All Blacks are the best team in the world, so to have a full Murrayfield behind us would give us a lot more confidence and belief.”