The Bath and Gloucester derby came under a certain amount of flack recently after a particularly controversial passage of play left fans wondering what sport they were watching.
Both sides spent a solid minute simply thumping the ball from one end of the field to the other, resulting in fans of the sport dozing off.
The below clip is one that players clearly want to avoid emulating after the mockery that the scene has faced since. Non-fans of the sport have ironically joked about rugby looking ‘sick‘ and ‘great fun‘ after the clip went viral.
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Not wanting to add fuel to the fire, the recent Bath match against Toulouse almost emulated the same passage, if it wasn’t for the decision making of Scotland fullback Blair Kinghorn. Wanting to avoid the negative press, and realising the kicking battle with international teammate Finn Russell was going nowhere, he put a stop to the action right before fans could get too restless.
Knowing what was going through the fullback’s head, Russell shared a wry smile with his kicking foe.
They didn’t want the negative headlines again 😂 pic.twitter.com/X5txR2IXXn
— Jack Tunney (@JackTunneyRugby) January 22, 2024
Recently being announced as Scotland co-captain alongside Rory Darge, Russell recently said: “Playing for Scotland is a huge honour and to co-captain the side is a privilege and something I am proud of.
“We have such a talented squad and to lead them alongside Rory represents a massive opportunity. I can’t wait to get started with this year’s championship.
“Rory has been a key player for us since he made his debut and leads by example during matches and in training. We’ll both have different leadership styles which will complement each other and ultimately benefit the team as we go into the tournament.”
Scotland boss Gregor Townsend added: “Rory and Finn captained Scotland last summer and bring different strengths and styles of leadership to the table,”
“Both are highly respected within our squad and have been part of our leadership group for some time. I’m sure they will thrive with this responsibility and lean on our other leaders to drive certain aspects of our preparation, mindset and performance.
“Jamie has done an excellent job as our captain since October 2022 and he will continue to be one of the key leaders in our group. He now has the opportunity to focus more on his game and deliver his best rugby over the next few weeks.”
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