By Murray Wilson
With the Autumn Nations series just days away, Gregor Townsend has named his initial Scotland squad – Jamie Ritchie is Captain and Australian Jack Dempsey receives a call-up, which everyone pretty much expected. The biggest point of contention, however, is the omission of a certain Finn Russell. Townsend’s squad includes three standoffs: converted fullback Blair Kinghorn, Adam Hastings and Ross Thompson; yet no Finn Russell.
Is Russell’s form really that poor, or is this another chapter in the saga of disagreements between a micromanaging coach and a maverick playmaker, or is Townsend looking to extend the range of fly-half options before the Rugby World Cup kicks off in less than a year?
It is no secret that Russell and Townsend are not exactly best mates, with Finn’s seemingly carefree attitude and penchant for tearing up the script an anathema to planner Townsend, putting a strain on their professional relationship, all coming to a head when Russell was dropped from the 6 Nations squad for breaking team protocols on a night out. It is clear that this was only the surface of the issue, with Russell stating that the “situation, set-up and environment…I don’t think its good for me as a person or a player”.
Unfortunately, however, for Townsend, Finn Russell is a world class fly-half and not an asset it seems prudent for Scotland to leave out. However, faced with a daunting Autumn Nations Series hosting Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and an Argentina team that beat them in a test series over the Summer, Townsend has done just that, omitting Russell completely, reasoning that “it’s a challenge for him to show his form and consistency over the next few weeks”.
This begs the question: who should be Scotland’s first choice fly-half for the Autumn Internationals, and with a view forward to the World Cup?
To put it lightly, Blair Kinghorn, by Townsend’s own admission, still needs time to develop and flourish in the ten shirt. He is an excellent fullback, but you get the feeling that he is playing out of position when he plays fly-half, a problem illustrated best when Kinghorn was selected ahead of Finn Russell against Ireland in the 6 Nations. The result: Ireland in almost total control and a dominant Irish win. The 25 year old, who has three starts for Edinburgh in the URC this season, is a talented and valuable player by all means, but his style of play is seemingly the antithesis of Russell’s maniacal laughter and moments of whimsy in the face of danger and risk.
Kinghorn started all three tests against Argentina on the summer tour, but it must be noted that the only game of the three that Scotland won was when he had the least amount of time at fly-half, when he was pushed to fullback by Ross Thompson after 49 minutes. There is no doubt that Kinghorn has a vital role in the match day squad, perhaps served best as cover at 10 and 15 from the bench.
With three Scotland caps, and an impressive amount of experience and stability for such a young player, Ross Thompson is an encouraging but exceptional recent product of the floundering Scottish youth pathway system. Thompson made a strong impact coming off the bench in the second two tests against Argentina, steadying the side and allowing them to compete with their South American hosts far more than they could in the first test, in which Thompson didn’t appear.
It is worth noting that this season he has more playing minutes for Super Six side Ayrshire Bulls than he does for the Glasgow Warriors; playing Stirling Wolves at Millbrae and the All Blacks at Murrayfield are more than a few rungs apart. Selection for the Glasgow squad to travel to South Africa will bring reassurance for Thompson, and game time against top-tier test opponents is invaluable. If Townsend is serious about including Ross Thompson in his World Cup squad, as much game time as possible is a necessity – he has the talent and control to be there, now he needs the experience at the top.
The most experienced fly-half in Gregor Townsend’s squad is Adam Hastings. With 26 Scotland caps and a sharp run of form for Gloucester, Hastings has made his way back into favour after falling foul to injury that prevented him from touring Argentina.
Receiving only cameo appearances for his country last season, a simultaneously commanding and yet electric tenure for Gloucester has allowed him to truly show his skill set as not only a playmaker but also as a finisher. Despite having played the least of the three for Scotland over the last twelve months, Hastings has made himself impossible to ignore, and, with the omission of Russell, is perhaps best suited to fill the number 10 jersey come game day.
The idealist’s selection at fly-half would no doubt have been Russell, but without such liberties, a mixture of Hastings and Thompson seems to be the best option. Hastings has the zip and spark that Scotland need to bring them away from the turgid rugby that any Scotland fan will know all too well, whilst Thompson will benefit hugely from such exposure to world-class opposition. Kinghorn no doubt has a prominent role to play, being able to cover flyhalf and fullback, but his emphasis and deployment has to surely be in the back three.
Come what may, the Autumn Internationals will provide a remarkable insight, as well as valuable game time for Finn’s potential successors in the increasingly short run-up to the pinnacle of Test Rugby, the Rugby World Cup in France.
Follow Murray on Twitter @murrayjwilson