Racing 92 star Finn Russell has told a close friend that he won’t be even thinking about his future until he’s back from his ‘stag’ in Greece.
The fly-half, who is partying with Lions teammates Conor Murray and Chris Harris in Mykonos, wants a break from rugby following a injury disrupted Lions tour.
Russell, who has played his club rugby in Paris since 2018, is wanted by Green Rockets Tokatsu in Japan, where the former Australia and Leinster coach, Michael Cheika, is coming in as their new boss.
The 28-year-old has two seasons left on his deal in Paris, which means that Green Rockets would have to buy out his contract at considerable expense.
His original deal in Paris was worth about £800,000-a-year and he has since been given improved terms, which led The Rugby Paper to believe the offer is over £1m per season.
Russell is in no rush to sort his future and is intent on enjoying his time off in Greece with his friends and partner.
5 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Finn Russell, including his partner
#1. WORK
After secondary school, Russell worked for three years as a stonemason. He recalled that time in a 2015 interview with Newport:
On rainy days it could be pretty miserable. . . . It could be tough but I enjoyed it. I’d be making windowsills, door frames, fire places – even building walls. But compared to playing rugby, it’s night and day. If I ever have a bad day at training, I think back to what it was like working in that cold shed.[9]