Scotland flyhalf Finn Russell. Photo: Archives

Scotland flyhalf Finn Russell. Photo: Archives

Scotland flyhalf issues warning to Springboks

Finn Russell believes Scotland can put the Springboks under pressure if they play with ‘speed and accuracy’ in Edinburgh on Saturday.

Scotland flyhalf Finn Russell. Photo: Archives

Scotland flyhalf Finn Russell. Photo: Archives

Scotland are coming off a memorable 15-13 victory over Australia last weekend, and have now set their sights on claiming another big Southern Hemisphere scalp.

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The weather forecast suggests conditions will be cool and cloudy in Edinburgh on Saturday, but there is no sign of rain or wind.

It’s the sort of conditions that will fuel Russell’s desire to marshal the Scotland attack in an attempt to put the much-vaunted Springbok defence under real pressure.

“We’ll be looking to play some fast, expansive rugby, obviously weather-dependent,” Russell commented this week.

The 29-year-old speaks from experience, with Russell having impressed when he came on as a replacement for Dan Biggar in the third and final Test between the British & Irish Lions and Springboks earlier this year.

With Russell at flyhalf, the Lions looked their most threatening on attack, with the Scottish star adding pace and variety to the team’s backline apply.

“We showed in that third (Lions) Test that when you play with speed and accuracy, you can put them under a lot of pressure,” Russell reiterated.

“Teams in the Rugby Championship also showed that there are ways to break them down and turn their strengths into weaknesses. We have picked up a few things about how we can attack them and defend against them.

“I am just looking forward to testing myself against the best team in the world. That’s why you play sport.”

It’s not the first time Russell has spoken out about the Lions’ tactics against the Boks, having recently shared on a podcast that he believes the touring team “should have played more rugby”.

“The first two Tests we played off nine for two phases, and I kind of felt that played into their defence. We weren’t doing much out of the back of it. We were keeping the attack narrow instead of having a wide attack.”

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