RUSSELL GRAND

I'm physically fitter, mentally stronger and ready to take on World says Finn

- STUART BATHGATE

NEXT month's Rugby World Cup could hardly have come at a better time for Finn Russell and that might just mean for Scotland too.

In 2015 he was still a raw, maverick talent as the national side reached the quarter-finals.

In 2019 he was part of a team that failed to deliver and got knocked out at the group stage.

But now the 30-year-old stand-off is at the height of his powers. Physically as fit as ever, mentally refreshed after a decent summer break, and far more of a leader of this Scotland side than ever before.

It has been some transformation. Just under a year ago, head coach Gregor Townsend, right, left Russell out of the squad for the Autumn Tests, insisting that on form he was only the fourth best fly-half in the country. That was never a credible claim.

But there was no doubt that Russell was below his best for much of 2022.

After playing for the British & Irish Lions in the summer of 2021, he had hardly had a break from rugby for the best part of two years, and that took its toll.