Finn Russell embraces football compliment ahead of Investec Champions Cup semi-final and highlights ‘one of Bordeaux’s big strengths’
Bath fly-half Finn Russell and Bayern Munch footballer Michael Olise (inset).
Bath playmaker Finn Russell has opened up on what he expects from Sunday’s Investec Champions Cup semi-final with Bordeaux-Begles and compared it to a much-talked about recent football encounter.
After watching Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final between Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), which the French club won 5-4, Russell’s team-mate Beno Obano likened the brilliance of the German club’s star winger Michael Olise to the Scotland star’s exploits on the rugby field.
Obano referred to Russell as being “awe-inspiring” and the fly-half accepted the compliment before revealing that he is clued up on French football after spending five years with Parisian outfit Racing 92 before joining Bath in 2023.
‘The best of the best in football’
“I don’t support a football team, but I used to live in Paris so I went to a few of the PSG games,” Russell said. “That game on Tuesday was the best of the best in football and that’s effectively what we are playing in this weekend. The stakes are high. It’s not just another game, it’s a semi-final of a European competition.”
Ahead of his Bath side’s eagerly anticipated last-four Champions Cup clash in Bordeaux, Russell revealed that he sees similarities between football and rugby, especially in the transition play of the top teams in both codes and he is wary of UBB’s ability to launch attacks from broken play.
“The way PSG and Bayern counter-attacked with transition ball and the speed they got up the pitch and the chances they made, that is also one of Bordeaux’s big strengths, whether through an offload or a kick,” he said. “One of the main things will be trying to contain their attacking strengths.”
Although both Bath and Bordeaux have been involved in high-scoring matches this season, Russell does not expect their clash to play out like that.
‘Semi-finals are slightly different’
“We’ve had a few high-scoring games this year. I know Bordeaux have as well, but semi-finals are slightly different,” he added. “It’s about staying in every moment and not allowing it to become that loose game, that end-to-end sort of stuff. It becomes risky to have that in a semi-final.”
The battle between Russell and Bordeaux playmaker Matthieu Jalibert should be one of the highlights of Sunday’s semi-final and whoever comes out on top in that direct duel is also expected to finish on the winning side.
“Jalibert plays with no fear. He is a big threat to us,” said the 33-year-old Russell. “They are a great attacking team. When they get momentum, how do you stop it? It’s about feel.”
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