Finn Russell remains Scotland’s creative focus despite patchy form | Stuart Bathgate

The Scotland No 10 ‘thrives on pressure’ according to his captain, John Barclay, and is more focused than critics suggestAnyone surprised by the selection of Finn Russell for the Calcutta Cup match on Saturday failed to take into account two factors. One is the calm, forgiving nature of Gregor Townsend, the Scotland coach who as a former stand-off himself arguably has a keener insight than anyone else into Russell’s complex make-up. The other is the lack of any viable alternative to the creative versatility offered by the Glasgow Warriors playmaker, whose performance in the win against Fr…