Scotland started their 2024 Six Nations campaign with a victory last weekend, although it's fair to say that Finn Russell was not happy with his team's performance in the second half of their win over Wales.
The Scots led 27-0 at one point early in the second half in Cardiff, only to allow the hosts to get back into the game by scoring 26 unanswered points. The visitors would eventually hang on for a one-point victory.
Speaking after the game, Russell called out his teammates for ignoring his instructions on the field.
The out-half was appointed as Scotland joint captain last month, sharing the position with Rory Darge. A mercurial player, there is no doubt that he is the leader of the attack in whatever team he plays in.
In fact, some believe he is having a profound effect on the sport of rugby as a whole.
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Jonny Wilkinson makes big claim about Finn Russell impact on rugby
Finn Russell is capable of some remarkable moments on a rugby pitch, although he can also get his team into trouble by overplaying on occasion. Despite this, Jonny Wilkinson has been hugely impressed with the way he performed in recent seasons.
Speaking on the Kick Offs and Kick Ons podcast, the former England out-half went as far as to say that the Scot is changing the sport of rugby.
He’s certainly in that zone where he’s leading the game. There are loads and loads of good number 10s out there but he’s the one who’s got the energy with him.
He’s just in that creative space where he’s starting to change the game a little bit, just the way it looks and the way it can look.
It’s impressive. You talk about that first half, with Wales being a little bit off and slow, but he just made it look easy at times.
I think it’s really exciting for the game right now because having someone that’s just changing the shape and showing that things can be done slightly differently...
He’s bringing back some of the old school ability to just create something out of nothing from that 10 spot and being able to take people on one-on-one...
Certainly the team around him are benefiting from that energy and Scotland are starting to look – and have been for the last few years – like they’re very much on the up.
That is certainly quite the claim, although there is no doubt that Jonny Wilkinson knows what he is talking about when it comes to the out-half position.
Finn Russell has yet to translate that style of play to team success at test level, with Scotland having repeatedly faltered during recent Six Nations and World Cup campaigns. They will be hoping that changes in 2024.
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