Sir John Kirwan and Victor Matfield full of praise for ‘fantastic’ Finn Russell plus the ‘really interesting’ theory on ‘Ireland’s problem’ at 10
Legendary All Blacks and Springboks duo Sir John Kirwan and Victor Matfield have hailed Finn Russell after he played a leading role in Scotland’s Round Two Six Nations win over England.
Scotland came into that encounter at Murrayfield on Saturday after suffering a narrow defeat against Italy in their tournament opener.
However, Gregor Townsend’s men delivered a dominant performance and sealed a deserved 31-20 bonus-point victory over the ‘Auld Enemy’ which puts them back in the Six Nations title race.
Scotland currently occupy second position in the standings with six points amassed, four adrift of table-topping France who are the only unbeaten side left in the Championship after clinching back-to-back triumphs over Ireland and Wales.
Russell in fine form
Russell delivered a superb all-round display against the Red Rose as he caught the eye with his brilliant playmaking skills, excellent game management and a faultless goal-kicking effort in which he slotted four conversions and a penalty.
And his performance made a big impression on former All Blacks winger Kirwan who was full of praise for the 33-year-old fly-half.
“Finn Russell, I just think he has, when you look at any sport, like Michael Jordan (in basketball), when you look at any sport and you think of people who look like they’ve got time, he makes it look easy,” he told the Rivals podcast.
“When Finn Russell’s on his game, Scotland go well.”
Russell made his Scotland debut against the USA in 2014 and has already made 91 appearances for his country in the international arena and also won four Test caps for the British & Irish Lions.
Kirwan believes Russell’s experience is a big reason for Scotland’s success and feels that is why a team like Ireland are struggling to decide on their first choice fly-half at the moment.
“I think it’s really interesting to talk about stand-offs, but it just takes them a few more years than in the past to actually get used to it,” he added.
“I think that’s Ireland’s problem. I’m not saying that these guys (Sam Prendergast and Jack Crowley) are not going to grow into it, but I think someone like Finn Russell’s been around there a while. It took Dan Carter a few years.
‘I think it’s a really interesting position’
“I think that the stand-off position is so important for our game now. You can’t just be a great stand-off and a winning stand-off straight away. I think it’s a really interesting position.”
Ex-Springboks lock Matfield echoed Kirwan’s sentiments, mentioning how important it is for a team’s forwards to do well in order for a fly-half to shine, and highlighted the fact that Russell had an excellent game against England despite his pack being on the back foot for long periods.
“It takes time, and it takes a pack of forwards as well,” he said. “For Finn to do that behind that Scotland pack, they were still going backwards in the scrum. It’s not easy, but I think he loves playing against England.
“He plays for Bath, they’re dominating the English Premiership. He plays against these guys every week. Whenever he plays against them, the confidence is just so high because he’s so used to beating all of them.
“I’m very close with Johann van Graan at Bath, and he tells me Finn Russell is just an unbelievable guy. For a long time, people thought he was difficult in a team (environment) and that he didn’t want to work hard, but what Johan tells me, he’s just an unbelievable leader, and he’s a guy that likes winning.
“He’ll do anything to win, and he’ll work so hard, and he’ll drive a whole team. He was outstanding for the British Irish Lions against Australia as well. I think people forget about that.
“He’s a fantastic player, and if you’ve got a good 10, you can win most of your games.”
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