What was life like for Scotland pre-Russell, pre the outrageous ability with hand and boot, pre the imaginative and prescient and the execution, the boldness and the persona that will get you off your seat and, sure, the risk-taking that may make you cover behind it at instances when it goes mistaken?
Scotland’s assault was largely barren within the Six Nations from 2000 to 2015, when Russell turned up in earnest. In 16 consecutive seasons Scotland by no means made double figures in tries scored in a five-game championship.
They averaged fewer than six tries per event. Crossing the road was a Herculean job.
Then, Russell. In his second Six Nations, Scotland scored 11 tries, then 14, then 11, then 14 once more. That quantity slumped to seven in 2020 – the 12 months Russell and his coach, Gregor Townsend, have been estranged. The following 12 months, with Russell restored, the strive rely rose to 18. They common round 14.5 per Six Nations these days.
They have 10 of their first three video games this time round. This shouldn’t be all on Russell. He’s had Darcy Graham, Van der Merwe and Steyn out huge, he is had Huw Jones and Sione Tuipulotu within the midfield. He’s had Blair Kinghorn at full-back and Ben White and George Horne at scrum-half.
But Russell controls all of it and for the most effective a part of a decade he is been the main target of opposition coaches in each sport that he is performed. It’s made life tougher, but it surely’s illustrative of the respect he is earned.
