Finn Russell breaks silence on his ‘put to bed’ rivalry with Johnny Sexton
Johnny Sexton and Finn Russell in conversation in Dublin on Friday night
Finn Russell has broken silence about his allegedly strained relationship with Johnny Sexton, after the now-retired Ireland out-half branded his Scottish rival “flashy” and a “media darling” after losing out on British and Irish Lions selection to Russell in 2021.
Sexton unloaded about his disappointment in the autobiography published after his playing career ended following the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Little did he know at the time that just two years down the line, he would be working as one of Russell’s coaches on the 2025 Lions tour to Australia.
Having agreed to join Andy Farrell’s Ireland set-up on a full-time basis later this year, Sexton also took up an offer from his national team boss to hook up with the Lions as an assistant. That decision means he began working with Russell at the start of last week when the Scot joined the squad in Dublin following his Premiership title win with Bath.
There was plenty of speculation regarding what might unfold with the pair now on the same side, but any hint of discomfort was quickly nipped in the bud with The Sunday Times claiming that, according to one of the Lions’ backroom staff, Farrell dealt with the situation in “a typically Faz way”.
Sexton has his say on the matter in the lead-up to Friday’s 24-28 loss to Argentina at Aviva Stadium and before the team flew out to Perth the next day, Russell got to have his say about his former Irish rival.
“It’s just a bit of craic I suppose…”
“It’s just a bit of a craic I suppose,” he said. “It was never a thing. When we came in, we had a laugh straight away and Andy kind of put it to bed, so that was good. Not that it was ever going to be an issue, I don’t believe.
“We are all here with the same goal, which is to win the series. I have only been here a few days but it’s been good working with Johnny. I’m happy to bounce questions off him and chat to him about what he is seeing because with the numbers we have had he has had to jump in sometimes. So it’s been quite funny being on the same training side as him.
“It’s good to have a guy with experience here. I can chat to him and bounce things off him as and when I need. All the coaches seem open to have conversations and have chats. It’s a good environment to be in.”
The Lions chose Fin Smith as their starting out-half and Marcus Smith at full-back against Los Pumas, but the expectation is that Russell will be involved in their next match – Saturday’s clash with the Western Force in Perth.
