Finn Russell challenged Scotland to add some sheen to their Guinness Six Nations campaign in Paris as he lamented the fact they have only a “disruptor” role to play in this weekend’s three-way shootout for the title.
The Scots are set to end the championship as also-rans once more after their home defeat by Ireland on match-day two was followed by an agonising 16-15 loss away to England, in which Russell missed all three of his conversion attempts, including a last-minute kick that would have won the Calcutta Cup.
With just two home wins over Italy and Wales to their name, co-captain Russell believes a rare away victory over title-chasing France would go a long way to enhancing how their hitherto underwhelming campaign was viewed by the Scottish public.
“If we get a win tomorrow, then we’d probably look back at one of my kicks that could have had us winning the title,” said Russell, speaking pitchside at Stade de France after some kicking practice on Friday.
“I think the England game is probably the one that got away, which for me personally is really frustrating. I think we all know why!
“But if we can finish up with a win this weekend – the frustration for the England game would still be there, obviously – I think we could look back at this tournament as a decent enough tournament.
“There’s probably a few folk questioning how the Scotland team is going, but if I hit that kick or one of the kicks, then it’s probably viewed very differently.
“At this level, it’s all about the results. But once you get to the end of the tournament, then you can fully assess how it’s been and how you’ve played.”
Russell believes victory in Paris – where their only previous triumph this century came behind closed doors in 2021 – would give Scotland reason for optimism going forward.
“If we get a win, it’ll be brilliant, obviously, to finish on a high,” said the Bath stand-off, who spent five years in Paris with Racing 92.
“Building for the future as well, if we manage to get a win over here, it’s a good stepping stone to get the kick-on from there.
“We beat Australia in the last game of the November series and it put us in a good place coming into this tournament. Each tournament, whether it’s gone well or not, you have to look at how you can move on.
“That’s probably what tomorrow is for us. It’s how we can bounce back after the second half last weekend (against Wales) and also the loss to England and Ireland.”
France are in pole position, but a Scotland win in Paris would open the door for England or Ireland – who are away to Wales and Italy respectively earlier in the day – to claim the title.
“It’ll be a different occasion for us, with it being the last game and depending on the result here, we could change the tournament,” said Russell.
“I think Blair Kinghorn had a couple of the Toulouse boys messaging him the other way around (winding him up) and I’ve had (England centre) Ollie Lawrence messaging me yesterday (asking for a favour).
“I’d imagine tomorrow we’ll get a few messages from the English boys, maybe the Irish boys, so I suppose it’s good fun. It shows how exciting a tournament it is that three teams can win at the end.”
