Saturday against France at Murrayfield wasn’t one of Finn Russell’s most magical days with former players slamming his lack of effort.
His lacklustre chase and failure to attempt any sort of tackle was compounded by wide angle footage that saw him inexplicably jogging back as his team-mates busted their guts to stop the French.
It’s pretty embarrassing
Shane Horgan said: “That is actually pathetic for your top player, your talisman.
“Five minutes into the game. He doesn’t have an injury, he’s not fatigued. You look at someone like Rory Darge killing himself around the field — turning ball over, making tackles, carries, scoring a try — and then you’ve got your best player performing like that.
“There is no way any team can win consistently if you have players doing that. It’s like what France were doing in their dark ages, but that’s gone. You’d never see a Springbok doing that, you’d never see an All Black doing that.
“If Finn Russell wants to count himself as a really top player, have a look at the best players of the last 10 years. Look at the generational players like Brian O’Driscoll, Dan Carter, Jonny Wilkinson. They were so hard working, and that [from Russell] was pathetic.”
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5 stars who underperformed in round three of the 2022 Six Nations
We take at five players who flopped during the third round of the 2022 Guinness Six Nations, including a disappointing England star.
#1. Finn Russell (Scotland)
Rugby Pass 5/10: “An erratic display, not for the first time. His aimless kick allowed Dupont space for the opening French try. A dropped ball as Scotland attack and bounced by Danty in the build-up to the visitors’ third score. On the back foot for the second half and hooked after an hour.”