Steve Diamond takes a sly dig at ‘great player’ Finn Russell and Bath over salary cap

Bath fly-half Finn Russell and Newcastle Falcons director of rugby Steve Diamond.
Newcastle Falcons director of rugby Steve Diamond has taken a swipe at Bath and the West Country outfit’s fly-half Finn Russell after Saturday’s Premiership clash between the teams at Kingston Park.
Bath consolidated their position at the top of the Premiership standings courtesy of a 40-15 victory but despite being beaten by the “better team on the night”, Diamond criticised his opponents, especially Russell.
The Scotland fly-half was in fine form as he finished with a 15-point contribution as Bath outscored their hosts by six tries to two.
Despite Bath’s 25-point winning margin, Diamond bemoaned some crucial decisions and highlighted the areas which proved costly for the Falcons.
‘There was a crucial non-decision’
“Well, I think physicality, I think bench, we mentioned it before the game,” he said after the match. “And they were a good five metres out from the try-line, I think there was a crucial non-decision or wrong decision, whatever you want to say, just on half-time, where they were sealing off for 20 rucks and they eventually scored.
“That was a killer, and then they started well and scored the first five minutes after half-time.
“So, yeah, hey, listen, we conducted ourselves as best as we could.”
Bath‘s victory means they are in joint first position on the Premiership table with Bristol Bears while the Falcons are languishing in ninth spot.
Newcastle gave a good account of themselves during the opening half and trailed their visitors by six points at the interval, but the home side failed to score in the second period as Bath took control of proceedings and eventually cruised to victory.
Diamond highlighted the importance of winning the physical battle if Newcastle want to be victorious in their upcoming matches and also mentioned how he felt Russell influenced the game.
“Well, there’s a physicality thing, and when you’ve got a squad the size we’ve got, it’s difficult, we’re on bare bones at the moment,” he said after the match. “But as we proved in the first half, we should have gone in 15-14, and we’d frustrated them.
Finn Russell ‘talked his way through the game’
“The game was controlled eloquently by their number 10, who talked his way through the game, and the referee listened to him. And that’s what happens when you’re a side at the top of the league, as opposed to a side at the bottom of the league.
“So, beaten by a better team on the night, they’re a good side, they’re a big pack of forwards, and their second pack of forwards, how they fit in the salary cap, goodness knows, they do a massive job behind the scenes.”
When asked if he felt Russell was controlling the game too much beyond the laws, Diamond replied: “No, not at all, he’s a great player.”
However, he feels that some decisions did not go Newcastle’s way due to their current position in the standings.
“100 per cent, but that’s sport all over, isn’t it? If you’re top of the league, then you get the rub of the green,” he said.
“When you’re not top of the league, when you’re bumbling around the bottom like we are, then you have to do everything over and above to get those decisions.”
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