.png)
2 hours ago
3
The England defence coach Richard Wigglesworth has admitted it is pointless trying to come up with a plan to stop Finn Russell after getting a closeup view of Scotland’s star fly-half during last summer’s British & Irish Lions tour of Australia.
England head to Murrayfield on Saturday favourites to defend the Calcutta Cup on the back of 12 straight victories while Scotland are reeling after last Saturday’s shock defeat by Italy. England have not won at Murrayfield since 2020, however, and only once since 2016 with Russell proving their nemesis on several occasions.
The 33-year-old orchestrated the Lions’ series victory over the Wallabies last summer with Wigglesworth one of Andy Farrell’s right-hand men on the coaching staff and he has conceded coming up with a specific plan to stop Russell is a bootless errand.
“How many defence coaches have gone in with a Finn Russell plan and been made to look pretty stupid?” said Wigglesworth. “It’s not something we’ve done in that regard, it’s more: how do we stop Scotland and what they can do? Because we know the dangers they have out wide and what the guys in the middle produce for them.
“He’s one of those guys whose talent speaks for itself but he works hard on it. I found him really diligent. Obviously his mind works really fast. You tell him something or there’s some part of a plan he just picks up and goes with it. All the stuff you expect with the standard of player he is. He’s always a personable bloke so you can have those chats with him. I probably got to see more of it, up close.”
The England flanker Sam Underhill has pointed to Russell’s defensive mettle as well as his attacking attributes, revealing he has thought better of putting one of his trademark tackles on the Scot in Bath training. “He’s far too expensive to do that,” Underhill said. “He’s a physical 10, as well, which is probably an underrated part of his game. He’s a good defender, he’s a good hitter, and he’s not a small guy. I don’t want to big him up too much but he’s a fairly well rounded player.
“He’s a very talented rugby player. He’s a very confident player. That’s probably one of his strengths – he’s pretty unflappable. I’ve got a lot of respect for the guy and enjoy playing with him.”
