Clutching a bottle of lager deep in the bowels of Twickenham, the celebrations could at last begin for Finn Russell. For a decade the Scottish fly half had sought a second success to go along with the Pro 12 title won at Glasgow as a 22-year-old to no avail; after playing a starring role to snap Bath’s own, longer wait for a title, this was a triumph he intended to enjoy.
But only temporarily. On Monday, Russell will fly to Dublin to join up with the British and Irish Lions aiming to quickly shake off any lingering impacts of the final and its aftermath and get up to speed. It is a tight turnaround for Russell, Will Stuart, Ollie Chessum and the large Leinster lot ahead of the touring side’s first fixture against Argentina on Friday – while it is likely that most are not involved at the Aviva Stadium there will clearly be a need to hit the ground running.
“I have not won much in my career,” Russell admitted, beer in hand, on Saturday night. “The last time I won a title like this was 10 years ago and I want to enjoy it, that is important as well. If I go back home and just chill then you don’t get the chance to appreciate what we have achieved.
“Bath haven’t won one in 29 years; it is important to celebrate what you have done that season. It is not just one game today, it is the last 48 weeks we have been going to get to where we are now.”
Russell’s trophy hunt had rather embodied that of his nation, Scotland good but not good enough so often throughout his time wearing the thistle. If little of that was to do with their orchestrator-in-chief there were those – including Johnny Sexton, soon to be his Lions coach – who clearly felt the Scot’s style outweighed his substance; the flash fur coat occasionally opened to reveal little underneath. At Bath, though, the 32-year-old appears to have grown into a well-rounded player, aided, of course, by a power-packed pack and, in Ben Spencer, a complementary scrum half and leader.
The impact of Johann van Graan on his career is clear, too. The Bath boss was just as vital as Bruce Craig’s chequebook in luring Russell to the city, and perhaps contrasting characters have found themselves somewhat kindred spirits. “Johann is amazing at his job, one of the best I have ever worked with in terms of bringing everyone together,” hailed Russell of the South African. “The first time I met him, I think, was the November before I came. I chatted to Johann as a man. He said ‘I know what you do on the pitch, I want to get to know you as a guy’ That is what he is, he wants a team full of good men.
“At Racing [92], we had brilliant players and coaches but I was chatting to Johann and the vision of where this club could get to was really exciting for me and that is why I came here. The city we are playing for, they give us that energy as well and Johann has brought it all together in a way I have never felt before.
“For me, as an individual, I came to England and I felt it was a different game here, a little bit more structure. As a player, it was brilliant to come here, and that different style of rugby. You come to big games like [the final], hopefully more to come, but to use that kicking game as a real threat is brilliant for me.”
That feeling of togetherness was on full display with Russell’s gifting of a score to Max Ojomoh, son of club legend Steve and one of the homegrown stars thriving alongside the fly half. “I could have scored it myself obviously,” Russell chuckled, before revealing a remarkable sense of clarity after a lung-busting surge of 60 metres as he explained why he had given a pass with the line in sight.
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“He is a young player from Bath, who has only ever been at Bath, and I would like to think scoring that in the final is a big thing for him. He said his dad never scored in the final so he has got one over him there – he just needs to get an England cap now.”
The significant success of this season should be a perfect springboard for Russell to attack his time with the Lions. His past tours have been tough, in some ways, with the Geography Six saga of 2017 followed by the Covid-wrecked trip to South Africa in 2021 – having spoken previously of his eagerness to embrace the experience fully, the fly half hopes to thrive in Australia.
“When you get to the Lions it is another level of intensity, it is the best of the best from Britain and Ireland. I am looking forward to the challenge, everyone is fighting for Test spots but it is not just getting in the Tests it is winning them as well.
“Looking forward to the Lions, there are three Tests at the end of it, and they are effectively knockout games. Having knockout games is really important in terms of finding a way to win. It was tough game [against Leicester] and we weren’t at our best but finding a way to win is really important.”
