Analysis: Attacking masterclass from Finn Russell

David Skippers

Our analyst Sam Larner returns to Planet Rugby and this week reflects on Finn Russell’s role in Racing 92’s Champions Cup win over Saracens at the weekend.

Racing 92 were hugely impressive against an admittedly weak Saracens team on Sunday. One of the reasons for their success was the work of fly-half Russell. The 27-year-old may not have had the best World Cup campaign. He was mobbed against Ireland and failed to really leave his mark against Japan in their final match. There is no denying however that he is one of the finest fly-halves out there.

At his best, the Scot attacks the defensive line and forces defenders to make decisions in super quick time. The speed the Irish defenders came up on Russell stopped him from attacking the line. But against Saracens it was a different story. Their line speed was slow and played right into the hands of Russell.

Within the first minute Russell was showing off his skills. Teddy Thomas made a break on the nearside of the pitch. When the ball found its way into the hands of Russell he spotted Titi Lamositele and Rhys Carré ahead of him. That is perfect for a player with the footwork of Russell. He steps back in, which puts Lamositele off-balance and brings Carré in. Carré was marking the fringe of the ruck and so he needs to be wary of the runs of both Juan Imhoff and Maxime Machenaud who are threatening the space Carré has just come from.

If Carré bites in on Russell then the fly-half will just pop inside. When Carré stays put Russell can throw the dummy and go through the hole. Russell ends up running into the Saracens 22 before he is tackled. By hitting the line at pace Russell forces the defenders to show him what they are going to do. All Russell then needs to do is choose the right option.

For Russell’s own try – which he scores on the 53rd minute – he breaks through the line twice. The first time he sees that Will Skelton and new substitute Joel Kpoku have become disconnected in the midfield. Again, if he was not attacking the line then the gap between the two defenders can probably be closed. Because he is threatening the line he can slip straight through. He gains more yards and then offloads to put Racing 92 on the front foot.

He finishes the job with yet another line break. At the risk of being repetitive, the Scot attacks the line and that forces the defence to reveal their plan. In this case it is Carré again who is left in the lurch by the rush of Nick Isiekwe. Isiekwe charges out of the line and leaves Carré with too much ground to defend. Russell straightens up and goes through the hole.

For those who remember, this is very similar to George Ford’s try against the USA at the Rugby World Cup. He attacks the line, waits for the defence to cause themselves problems, and then goes through the hole that was left.

Defending is relatively easy when all you need to do is tackle. The issues start when you need to solve problems. We saw that in the first example where Russell forces Lamositele and Carré to make decisions. You can see that neither fully commit to them. Lamositele does not make the tackle and Carré is unsure whether to step in or stay and mark the space. Against someone with the footwork and handling of Russell you really need to fully commit to whichever decision you make.

At Racing 92 Russell will get the opportunity to run at defences rather than stand and wait for them to run at him. He is a much better player when defenders are not blitzing him, although that is true of most tens. The challenge will come this weekend when he faces Munster away. Munster will get into his face and force him to make decisions early. If he can consistently make the right decisions and put men into space then the blitz will grind to a halt, if he stops making forward progress then Racing’s creative force might disappear out of the game. That match-up is looking like the game of the weekend.

by Sam Larner