Just three months ago he was Glasgow’s fourth-choice fly-half but Finn Russell has been entrusted with the controls for the biggest game in the Warriors’ history.
The 21-year-old from Stirling will start the RaboDirect PRO12 play-off semi-final against Munster at Scotstoun as Gregor Townsend rang the changes yet again after deliberating on a number of close calls.
Among the 11 changes, the biggest surprise is Scotland full back Stuart Hogg being omitted entirely from the matchday 23, while skipper and club talisman Al Kellock will start despite having had a peripheral role on-field this season.
Young centre Mark Bennett’s excellent form gets him the nod ahead of Peter Horne in midfield in another of Townsend’s difficult choices.
Russell at 10 was probably not one of them, even if the player was behind Scotland first choice Duncan Weir, the 23-times capped Ruaridh Jackson and Scott Wight in the fly-half pecking order as recently as February.
His advance in the last three months has been so impressive that he was probably a short priced favourite to edge out the two Scotland regulars.
Townsend enthuses about Russell’s all-round talent, and no qualms about pitching him into this pivotal game in the Warriors’ history.
“Finn has grabbed his opportunity over the season,” said the head coach.
“During the 6 Nations he came on against Cardiff, played very well and started the following week. He has played really well at 12 too, and has taken his opportunity.”
Russell’s rise seems to have been accelerated by his summer in New Zealand at the Canterbury Crusaders Academy on the MacPhail Scholarship.
“I don’t know if I’m surprised (at his progress) but I’m delighted, really pleased for him,” continued Townsend.
“He had a great summer in New Zealand last year and we got fantastic reports about him, he was the player of the club tournament out there.
“We wanted him to play a lot of rugby this season and he got a lot of good time in with Ayr before we started using him regularly.
“He has always had a good base good catch-pass skills, good evasion on the ball and an outstanding tackler, one of our best in the backline.”
As for his other 21-year-old, Townsend felt Hogg had not had enough playing time since coming back from suspension and injury, playing just 100 minutes over two games in the last fortnight, although his sharpness against Treviso and Zebre looked intact and he’s played more recently than Sean Lamont, who is preferred on the bench.
“Stuart knows he has probably not had enough rugby in that period,” he said.
“We are in a great situation at full-back with Peter Murchie outstanding scoring two tries against Edinburgh and very good when he came on at the weekend.”
Hogg has been embroiled in some controversy recently since his petulant late tackle of Dan Biggar in the final 6 Nations game in Cardiff and reports of him being spotted in Belfast being courted by Ulster, but Townsend refuted the idea that Hogg was being stood down for anything but rugby reasons.
“We pick what we think is the right team to win a game, rewarding players in form and that’s why Peter Murchie is in the team,” he added.
As for Kellock, Townsend felt he needed his most experienced lieutenant on the pitch.
“There’s experience and leadership, and also the rugby side,” he said. “Al’s set-piece is good, and he is a very good tackler.
“We have to win ball, and it was a factor that Paul O’Connell is on the other side, he and Al have played against each other many times,” he continued.
Munster have named four changes for the team that lost to Ulster last week but hooker Damian Varley retains the captaincy.
The teams won on each other’s fields this year, Munster winning 13-6 at Scotstoun back in October while the Warriors won 22-5 at Thomond Park just last month.