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Finn Russell says Scotland cannot get caught up in “history and emotion” as they bid to complete a historic four-in-a-row in the Calcutta Cup on Saturday.
It would be the first time in more than half a century that Scotland would have won four consecutive Tests against England. That run included a Rugby Football Union centenary game, however. The Scots have not beaten England in four straight championship games since 1896.
“It’s about having belief in ourselves and trust in the work we’ve put in,” says the co-captain and fly-half.
“At times, we will be under pressure and it will be tough, but we can have belief and confidence in ourselves and hopefully we can take some of the chances that will be out there.
“A learning from the World Cup was to not go into our shell when we come under pressure. There were chances against South Africa that we never saw on the pitch because we went into our shell a little bit.”
Russell has parked the sense of injustice he felt after the Six Nations loss to France last time out, when Scotland were denied a winning try in controversial circumstances.
“We want to get ourselves back on track,” he said. “The last few seasons, we’ve won three out of five games, so we’re looking to progress and get more than that this season.
“So it means winning the next three games, which is no easy feat. We’re not satisfied beating one or two teams in this competition. Our expectation and goal is to keep progressing year-on-year after the disappointment against France.”
As ever, the preamble to the Calcutta Cup largely revolves around Russell and his unique brand of brilliance. The Bath fly-half will be playing against England for the ninth time.
He lost his first three and has won his most recent three. Sandwiched in between have been the remarkable 25-13 victory – and the famous Russell pass – in 2018 and the even more remarkable 38-38 draw at Twickenham that featured another masterclass from the fly-half in an unforgettable second half.
Russell has won four of his past five Calcutta Cups and has drawn the other, so England will have plans for him.
Like South Africa did in France, England will deploy a blitz defence. The Irishman Felix Jones was on the Springbok coaching ticket at the World Cup and he is with England now, plotting what he hopes will be Russell’s downfall, no doubt.
“I’m not sure what England are going to do – fly out of the line and take me out, or if they are going to try to shut me down from the outside, but that’s something we will have to figure out in the game,” he said.
“We have to be able to adapt. Myself, Sione [Tuipulotu] and Huw [Jones] have to be on the same page. The more aligned we are, the better it will be.
“If they try to shut me down, that might mean we have to go through Sione or Blair [Kinghorn] or somebody else further out to create chances.
“The 10 controls a lot of the attack, but it’s not just down to me to create things. We will be looking to use other boys.”
Russell was unaware that his rival captain Jamie George suffered a terrible sadness last week when his mother passed away. He had supportive words for a man he holds in high regard.
“I got on really well with Jamie on the Lions tour in 2021,” he recalled. “A great man, I’m really sorry to hear that. I’ll give him a text now to send my condolences.
“That’s a tough thing to deal with. It’s terrible for him, but I hope him and his family are OK.”
Russell also had words of admiration for George’s team, which is a side in transition.
“The World Cup showed how good they can be,” he suggested.
“They’ve won their first two [Six Nations] games and are getting back to where they should be as one of the best teams in the world. Maybe we’ve had the rub of the green the last few years, but it can change so quickly in sport.
“We can’t look back on the last few games and say it has turned in our favour. It’s a huge challenge and we have to be at our very best to beat them. We have to be ready for anything.”
