By Liam Napier in Edinburgh
If Scotland are to toast Murrayfield’s centenary celebrations by upsetting the All Blacks for the first time, the world’s premier playmaker must conjure his maverick best this weekend.
Scotland possess many threats throughout their attacking minded backline, the likes of captain Sione Tuipulotu, Blair Kinghorn and Duhan van der Merwe, all of whom featured regularly for the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia in July.
Finn Russell, though, will be front of mind as the All Blacks attempt to maintain their last quarter momentum from their victory against Ireland in Chicago to continue the quest for their first Grand Slam in 15 years.
Russell is, arguably, the world’s best first five-eighth. The former Glasgow, Racing 92-turned-Bath playmaker guided Andy Farrell’s Lions to success in Australia earlier this year.
After sitting out Scotland’s largest victory in history against the lightweight USA at Murrayfield last weekend, their talisman returns this week to leave the All Blacks on notice.
Motivation is high among Gregor Townsend’s squad as Scotland strive to celebrate 100 years at Murrayfield with a historic success, their first in 117 years against the All Blacks. That should drive Russell to produce his best, with Scotland wearing a commemorative jersey and the All Blacks donning a rare white strip with a poppy on the chest to mark the occasion.
On and off the field, Russell is a unique character who does things his way. He’s had well-publicised clashes with Scotland coach Townsend, and his nonchalant attitude was captured as he scrolled his phone in the Lions changing rooms amid the prolonged break in play caused by lightning strikes during the third Wallabies test in Brisbane.
Russell is highly unpredictable and, therefore, can be erratic at times. But when his running and crafty kicking game is on, he’s a lethal asset.
All Blacks assistant coach Jason Holland observed Russell’s talent during their brief time in Christchurch together, some 12 years ago.
Before stamping his influence on the test scene, Russell spent three months in Canterbury rugby’s International High Performance Unit. He rode a bike to training at Christchurch’s Rugby Park while billeting with a local family and playing club rugby for Lincoln University, scoring 151 points in 14 games, to thrive amid New Zealand’s attacking mindset that he, too, embraces.
“I worked with him for the first six months. He had massive potential,” Holland said as the All Blacks trained on a rainy morning at Edinburgh’s Merchiston School.
“He enjoyed himself in Christchurch. He takes to everything that goes with the game. I admire that. He’s always had a bit of talent and has obviously applied himself over the years to get to where he’s got to.
“You could tell he had the attitude he wants to be the best – and he’s proven to be the best in a lot of places and a lot of parts of his game at the moment. He’s a bit of a maverick of a player. He’s prepared to have a crack, backs himself, with massive confidence.
“He’s a massive threat. We understand his running and kick threat. You’ve got to put him under pressure or he’ll have some fun. He’s hard to plan for because of the unpredictability around what he’s going to do but if you expect anything, then that’s your planning.
“Across that Scottish backline there’s some quality players hence the footy they’ve been playing in the last couple of years.”
The best way for the All Blacks to minimise Russell’s influence is to cut down his time and space, to zap his energy by making him defend power carries from the bash brothers midfield Quinn Tupaea and Leicester Fainga’anuku, and to dominate through their scrum, as they increasingly did against Ireland.
Talking up their opposition is standard practice from the All Blacks as they attempt to cultivate the necessary edge and attitude. This week, though, it’s fully justified.
Based on the All Blacks’ 117-year unbeaten record, some New Zealanders may brush off Scotland with a sense of historic arrogance.
It is, however, worth recalling the All Blacks’ last visit to Murrayfield three years ago when Ian Foster’s side needed a late revival to escape as the locals scored 23 unanswered points to dare to dream at the hour mark.
While next week’s assignment at Twickenham is considered the biggest threat to the Grand Slam, further proof of Scotland’s threat is evident in their recent record against England, having won five and drawn once from their last eight encounters with their neighbouring rivals.
“The growth around Scotland has been massive. It’s a massive occasion for them with the 100 years,” Holland noted. “It’s going to be a big battle up front and the style of footy Gregor has them playing, we’ve got to be on and not give them the ball too easily or they can hurt teams.
“We’re massively motivated. The history and the legacy behind those numbers is massive. We don’t want to be part of a team that helps the Scottish break that [drought].”
Liam Napier is a Senior Sports Journalist and Rugby Correspondent for the New Zealand Herald. He is a co-host of the Rugby Direct podcast.