When Finn Russell stood on the Twickenham pitch after Scotland’s agonising 16-15 defeat, chewing it over with his Bath club-mates Ollie Lawrence, Ted Hill and Ben Spencer from England‘s squad, it is doubtful they were saying “sorry mate, with those kicks you missed, your chance of the Lions tour has gone”.
The Lions’ head coach Andy Farrell will surely not base his choice of fly-halves for this summer’s tour solely on Russell’s three missed conversions – even if they were, in the most simplistic terms (along with England’s controversial try), the cause of Scotland losing this Six Nations match and with it their coveted grip on the Calcutta Cup.
What the astute Farrell will wish to avoid, nevertheless, is the confusion to which Russell succumbed as he took the conversion of Duhan van der Merwe’s try for Scotland in the 79th minute.
Finn Russell missed this 79th-minute conversion for Scotland against England…
… and England went on to win by a point 😳#BBCRugby #SixNations pic.twitter.com/cY7g8KtoCN
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) February 22, 2025
It was by no means clear what happened as Russell prepared for the kick, but it was the kind of knife-edged situation a Lions Test is often decided upon.
The French referee Pierre Brousset appeared to blow his whistle and call Russell to set his tee up at a point that was not in line with where Van der Merwe had grounded the ball. There was also the large presence of England’s captain Maro Itoje chirping away in Russell’s eyeline as the shot clock counted down.
So when Russell swung his right boot at the ball, with a history-making fifth straight Scottish Calcutta Cup at stake, it was two metres inside the touchline, and two metres further away from the posts than was necessary – which was pretty much the tiny margin by which the kick sailed to the left of the posts.
Overall, on a day of Six Nations fixtures that also featured some cool goal-kicking by Ireland’s fresh-faced fly-half Sam Prendergast in the win over Wales, and a 50-metre penalty goal by England’s newcomer Fin Smith as a great pass-mark in the test of mettle, it was fair for the Russell misses to be scrutinised – and the first of them, ballooned right of the posts from the 15-metre line after Ben White’s fourth-minute try, was poor.
You wondered whether Russell was fully Test-match ready after he was forced to curtail his training following the big bang on the cheekbone that forced him off early in Scotland’s previous match, the home loss to Ireland – from whom Farrell, of course, is currently on temporary leave while he assesses the Lions candidates to go to Australia in July and August.
In lots of others ways, though, the 32-year-old Scot with go-faster stripes shaved into his hair still looked the Lions’ part, and anyone who thought Smith’s distribution was snappier must have been watching a different match.
Russell made two good passes in the build-up to the White try, then a sharp miss-pass leading to the second Scotland try by Huw Jones wide out (the conversion, like the later one to come, missed narrowly to the left), then a good cross-kick on 26 minutes, not far off a 50-22, and another soon afterwards to create an aerial contest in Scotland’s favour between the two full-backs, Marcus Smith and Blair Kinghorn.
Another of those followed on 61 minutes, won by Kinghorn although the ball bounced into touch, which is the risk with the aerial route.
When Fin Smith and Tom Curry shot out of the line to attack Russell, he gave them the slip as a matador does to a bull. It needed turnovers by Ben Curry and Itoje, plus those missed conversions, to keep England in it, trailing only 10-7.
Russell was not playing flat to the line, which might be a Lions tactic – but he has the ability to fit any style. He also tidied up passes to him, low and high, and those who only watch him on TV would benefit from a view from behind the posts to see how he finds space and soft shoulders.
While Fin Smith appeared to be hesitating momentarily over whether to pass to Marcus, or his centres, the link between Russell and Kinghorn and the other Scotland backs just happens.
Scotland’s backline RIP England apart⚡
Duhan van der Merwe and Huw Jones running riot against England yet again! 🚀#GuinnessM6N | #ENGvSCO pic.twitter.com/bpGpkJhCTr
— ITV Rugby (@ITVRugby) February 22, 2025
The Lions tend to value that kind of empathy, given the short preparation time before the tour. Farrell must decide whether to pack his Test backs with Scots, or Irish, or a mix from four nations.
Fin Smith made the big tackling shot of the match on Tom Jordan but the tackle stats (206 by England to Scotland’s 91) were bound to be weighted to England, given how much Scotland ran at them.
Fin Smith – Momentum Stopper 💥#GuinnessM6N | #ENGvSCO pic.twitter.com/g9EShbK5LB
— ITV Rugby (@ITVRugby) February 22, 2025
Russell wrapping round from a line-out on 58 minutes beat Henry Slade all ends up but he slipped and refrained from trying the miracle ball to danger man Van der Merwe – which was more than Lawrence could say when he butchered an England try just before half-time.
Russell did fray in the last 10 minutes, but only a little. A penalty kick to touch was five metres too shallow, and England stole the throw. Then Russell’s one-handed catch of a Jordan pass was quality, and he did his bit calmly in the Van der Merwe try.
And yet for all Van der Merwe’s powerful and elusive running, which has brought him six tries and all three man-of-the-match awards against England in their last three meetings, here was another pinch-point Farrell may have noted, as the 6ft 4ins wing failed to dive in a little nearer the posts.
It might have spared Russell the ultimate conversion heartache, and the fly-half’s worst pass was his last one, in added time, leading to the end-of-match maul.
Russell goes on now to Scotland’s remaining Six Nations matches with Wales and France, before resuming Bath’s top-of-the-table tilt for the Premiership.
Looking across the fly-halves active in the Six Nations, the contenders include Prendergast and Jack Crowley from Ireland, the two Smiths from England, and maybe Wales’s Gareth Anscombe if he pulls out two big performances in the remaining matches.
Owen Farrell has had a non-entity of a season in exile playing for Racing 92 in France, but the 33-year-old son of the Lions’ head coach could gain public support if he quickly finds some form, plus he has comfortably the widest experience of past Lions tours (three of them).
Russell’s reputation has taken a dent in recent weeks, but if there is any doubt over his No 1 position in the race to be the Lions’ No 10, it can only be marginal.
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