ADVERTISEMENT
RugbyDump
REGISTER
LOGIN
ADVERTISEMENT
RugbyDump
Wednesday Feb 12, 2020

'The coach always wins' - The Rugby Pod weigh in on the divisive Russell vs Townsend saga

It’s been the talk of the 6 Nations so far by quite some distance, but according to recent articles and statements, the rift between Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend and star player Finn Russell doesn’t seem like ending anytime soon, with both parties digging their heels into the ground.

ADVERTISEMENT

The affair is of course by now, well documented: Finn Russell was left out of the squad to face Ireland in the opening game of the tournament after “breaching team protocol” on the eve of a training session 12 days before the Ireland game.

Russell opened up to the press prior to Scotland’s second consecutive defeat, to England at Murrayfield, with the piece published by the Sunday Times giving a different perspective to the situation, and suggesting much more of a lingering issue as the root cause of the fall-out

Townsend on the other hand, has given his side of the story to the BBC’s Tom English, stating that “the door is always open” for Russell to come back, but maintaining that certain “standards have to be kept” for that to happen.

It’s a Mexican stand-off between the two that is only damaging the reputation of the Scots at the moment. With neither backing down, it is ultimately the coach who wins in the end, according to The Rugby Pod’s Andy Goode.

Could captaincy be the unlikely solution?

ADVERTISEMENT

One possible solution – and it remains as likely as it is theoretical – is to follow Rob Vickerman’s suggestion of not only recalling Russell to the squad, but to make him captain as well.

The rationale, according to Vickerman is thus: by making him captain, Townsend puts the media focus, and duties, onto his star player while keeping him in the team and allowing the stand-off to play an authoritative role in determining the style of play he wants – something he has bemoaned in his criticism of Townsend to date.

That isn’t likely to be on the cards anytime soon however, as Townsend and Russell are as stubborn as an immovable object and an unstoppable force.

In the meantime, you feel for the incumbent out-half Adam Hastings, who has impressed in his two 6 Nations starts so far, without gaining much recognition.

Related Articles

  • 37 WEEKS AGO

    Ali Price Knocks Online Critics

  • 57 WEEKS AGO

    “Not a complete player” Rob Kearny and...

  • 59 WEEKS AGO

    WATCH: Was Scotland’s penalty try the correct...



ADVERTISEMENT

Great Tries

  • 6 DAYS AGO

    Incredible Camera Work During URC Clash Shows Rugby Player’s Athleticism

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    Heart Breaking Six Nations Ending For Italy As Scotland Score Long Range Try

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    Montpellier Number Eight Zach Mercer Outlandish Attacking Skill

  • 7 WEEKS AGO

    Damian Penaud Pulls Off a "van der Merwe" in Outrageous French Try

  • 7 WEEKS AGO

    Ireland Winger James Lowe With World Class Finish In Titanic Battle With France

View All

Big Hits & Dirty Play

  • 1 DAY AGO

    Italian player cops nine week ban following on field bust up

  • 4 DAYS AGO

    Close Up Angle Of La Rochelle Secondrow Will Skelton Laying Into Opposition

  • 5 DAYS AGO

    Referee Luke Pearce Gets Hit Hard In Harlequins vs Saracens Clash

  • 6 DAYS AGO

    Owen Farrell On The Receiving End Of An Illegal Hit

  • 1 WEEK AGO

    Refereeing Legend Nigel Owens Breaks Down Freddie Steward Incident

View All

See It To Believe It

  • 6 WEEKS AGO

    Ardie Savea Moment Of Magic In Super Rugby Aotearoa

  • 6 WEEKS AGO

    'Armchair athletes' berate Arundell's seriously impressive bench press

  • 7 WEEKS AGO

    Worcester Warriors - The End

  • 9 WEEKS AGO

    Sevens magic as 'headed' try brings stadium to its feet

  • 10 WEEKS AGO

    Almost 35,000 have now signed petition to reverse new grassroots tackle laws

View All

Funnies

  • 1 WEEK AGO

    Whole Irish squad turn up to teammates parents house for drinking session

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Jonathan Sexton Fantastic Comeback Caught On Ref Mic

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    Hilarious Footage Of English Players Post Leg Day Workout

  • 5 WEEKS AGO

    Mack Hansen leaves viewers in stitches with hilarious post-match interview mistake

  • 6 WEEKS AGO

    A Look Back At Rugby’s Greatest Ever Film

View All

Amateur

  • 12 WEEKS AGO

    You Won’t See Many Better Than This Silky-Smooth Try From Llandovery RFC

  • 12 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible Scenes As Caldy RFC Hand Ealing First Championship Defeat Of The Season

  • 35 WEEKS AGO

    Dubious Score Decides Result Of Rugby's Biggest Schools Fixture

  • 35 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible Scenes At School Boys Rugby Match

  • 35 WEEKS AGO

    The Next Dominant Backrow?

View All

Player Features

  • 1 DAY AGO

    Italian player cops nine week ban following on field bust up

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Youth and experience combine in an effort to repeat Six Nations upset

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    Wales international releases emotional statement after being offered contract that isn’t enough to feed family

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    Ardie Savea causes outrage with ‘throat slitting’ gesture

  • 5 WEEKS AGO

    Smith, Marchant and Murley released from England camp to take part in 'Big Game 14'

View All