LAST UPDATE | 16 Jan
FINN RUSSELL INSISTED he had been revitalised by his move to Bath as he plots Scotland’s attacking strategy for the Six Nations with Gregor Townsend, who announced his squad for the upcoming tournament today.
Russell helped Bath qualify for the knockout phase of the Champions Cup by directing a 29-25 victory over Top 14 leaders Racing 92 on Sunday, their third win in as many group matches.
The 31-year-old Scot left the Parisians for the Rec over the summer and the change of scenery has been a success, with his new club enjoying a revival in the Premiership and Europe.
He hopes to enter the Six Nations with the same brio and has been in frequent contact with Scotland head coach Townsend ahead of the opener against Wales on 3 February. Scotland play Ireland in Dublin on 16 March.
“Coming and changing teams with Bath has given me, not a new lease of life, but it has energised me,” Russell said.
It has been a new challenge and I’ve worked with new players in a slightly different structure and with a new gameplan, which has been good fun.
“I have grown again since I have been here. It is good for me as a 10, the more experience I get, the better.
“I have spoken to Gregor quite a lot. He texted me on Saturday and every week we have been chatting. I have got a call with him on Monday to chat about a few options with the attack through the Six Nations.”
While the move to Bath has put a spring in Russell’s step and provided the Premiership with a new poster boy, it also helped the out-half come to terms with Scotland’s recent group exit from the World Cup.
“Physically I was all right. I played three games out of four at the World Cup but every game I had a week off after so physically I was fine,” he said.
“It was more disappointment. I wanted to get straight back in here so I almost didn’t have time to dwell on what had happened.
“I took a week off, three or four weeks after I came back in, got away and had a proper holiday and switched off a bit, but coming back in here and getting something fresh has been really good to get over it.
“Potentially, if I had stayed at Racing I would have gone back there and it would have been the same again and dwelling on the World Cup.
“Coming into a new team with new coaches and a new environment and starting from scratch helped me get over that World Cup.”
Russell will once again be the leading man in Scotland’s Six Nations squad, which includes former England prop Alec Hepburn.
Hepburn has completed the three-year period to switch allegiance to the nation of his father’s birth. The 30-year Exeter star won six England caps and last appeared for the country in 2018.
Leicester tighthead Will Hurd, Sale winger Arron Reed and Edinburgh back Harry Paterson are the other three new additions in Gregor Townsend’s squad.
Northampton back Rory Hutchinson will be seeking to add to his eight caps as he returns for the first time since appearing in two Tests against Argentina in 2022.
Gloucester’s Adam Hastings returns after missing the World Cup last year through injury. Josh Bayliss, Kyle Rowe and Stafford McDowall are also restored after being cut from the World Cup training squad.
Glasgow trio Rory Darge, Jack Dempsey and Kyle Steyn made the selection despite recent injury lay-offs.
Darge is unlikely to be fit until midway through the tournament, which starts for Scotland with a trip to Wales on 3 February.
The most notable absentees from Townsend’s squad are 2021 British and Irish Lions trio Hamish Watson, Rory Sutherland and Chris Harris. Dave Cherry, who departed the World Cup squad in September after falling down stairs at the team hotel in Nice, has also been omitted.
Former Munster out-half Ben Healy is also in the 39-man group.
Scotland Six Nations squad:
Backs:
- Adam Hastings (Gloucester)
- Ben Healy (Edinburgh)
- George Horne (Glasgow Warriors)
- Darcy Graham (Edinburgh)
- Rory Hutchinson (Northampton Saints)
- Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors)
- Blair Kinghorn (Toulouse)
- Stafford McDowall (Glasgow Warriors)
- Harry Paterson (Edinburgh) – uncapped
- Ali Price (Edinburgh)
- Cameron Redpath (Bath)
- Arron Reed (Sale Sharks) – uncapped
- Kyle Rowe (Glasgow Warriors)
- Finn Russell (Bath)
- Kyle Steyn (Glasgow Warriors)
- Sione Tuipulotu (Glasgow Warriors)
- Duhan van der Merwe (Edinburgh)
- Ben White (Toulon)
Forwards:
- Ewan Ashman (Edinburgh)
- Josh Bayliss (Bath)
- Jamie Bhatti (Glasgow Warriors)
- Andy Christie (Saracens)
- Luke Crosbie (Edinburgh)
- Scott Cummings (Glasgow Warriors)
- Jack Dempsey (Glasgow Warriors)
- Rory Darge (Glasgow Warriors)
- Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh)
- Richie Gray (Glasgow Warriors)
- Matt Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors)
- Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors)
- Alec Hepburn (Exeter Chiefs) – uncapped
- Will Hurd (Leicester Tigers) – uncapped
- Johnny Matthews (Glasgow Warriors)
- WP Nel (Edinburgh)
- Jamie Ritchie (Edinburgh)
- Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh)
- Sam Skinner (Edinburgh)
- George Turner (Glasgow Warriors)
- Glen Young (Edinburgh)
