So, I decided to properly sit down and watch Finn Russell the other day. Not just the flashy bits you see on repeat, but really watch him over a full game or two. Made a pot of coffee, grabbed a biscuit, and settled in.
Getting Started
I pulled up that Scotland vs. France game, you know the one. Where he just seemed to be pulling rabbits out of a hat every other phase. I wanted to really focus, see if I could figure out how he does what he does. The timing, the vision.
The Process – Trying to Figure it Out
I found myself pausing, rewinding, watching his feet, his body shape. That little delayed pass, the cross-field kicks that land on a sixpence. Honestly, half the time it looks like he’s just messing about, but it works. It’s baffling.
It got me thinking… back when I used to play a bit, Sunday league stuff, nothing serious. If I even thought about trying a no-look pass or a dink over the top when it wasn’t blindingly obvious, our captain, bless him, would have given me an earful. “Play the percentages!”, “Don’t force it!” – that was the mantra.
- Stick to the plan.
- Do the simple thing.
- Don’t be a hero.
And mostly, that’s good advice, right? Keeps things tidy. But watching Russell, it feels like he ripped up that rulebook. Sometimes it blows up in his face, yeah, spectacularly. But when it comes off… it’s pure genius.
Going Down Memory Lane
It actually reminded me of this old job I had years ago, stacking shelves in a supermarket overnight. Sounds random, I know. But my supervisor there, Dave, was exactly like that old rugby captain. Everything had to be done exactly by the book. One time, I figured out a slightly quicker way to arrange the tins on the trolley before heading to the aisle. Saved maybe 30 seconds per trolley. Showed Dave. He just squinted at me and said, “That’s not how we do it. Just do it the way I showed you.” Didn’t matter if it was better, it just wasn’t his way. Drove me nuts.
I felt that same kind of frustration watching my old captain shut down any spark of creativity on the pitch. It’s like some people are allergic to anything different, anything unpredictable.
Back to Russell
So, watching Finn Russell now, it’s kind of cathartic. He does all the stuff guys like Dave or my old captain would hate. He takes the risks. He tries the unconventional. It’s not always perfect, far from it. But it’s exciting, it’s unpredictable, and it shows you what’s possible when you’re not totally constrained by the ‘way things are done’.
After a couple of hours, I didn’t really come away with any technical insights I could actually use (not that I’m playing anymore!). Mainly just ended up thinking about old Dave the supervisor and feeling glad someone like Russell exists in sport. He makes it fun to watch. You just never know what’s coming next. Can’t really coach that, can you?
