Scotland playmaker Finn Russell has tried to keep the Springboks guessing as he hinted at taking a more pragmatic approach to Saturday’s Test in Edinburgh.
Russell is likely to start at flyhalf as Scotland look to claim a second successive southern-hemisphere scalp after battling to a 15-12 win over Australia.
The 29-year-old memorably sparked the British & Irish Lions backline in the first half of the third Test against the Springboks back in August.
However, he was at his enigmatic best this week as he said he was contemplating changing his usual ball-in-hand approach for Saturday’s match.
“I chatted to a few of the South African boys who were over in Paris at one of the Racing games. Basically, they expected Australia to run everything but they actually kicked everything, which was a different approach from them,” Russell said.
“It’s just a small thing but I think they were on to something, so I might just kick a lot to try to throw them off a little bit.
“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.”
Russell played more of a controlled game against Australia, mixing up the flashy parts of his game with some excellent kicking.
“A couple of times we ran from deep when I thought we had advantage when we didn’t,” he said.
“But if it is on, I am happy to have a go from my own 22 and have a crack at it. My mindset is, if it is on I take it. We played expansive at the weekend and quick rugby but we have to take into account that we have to try and win the territory. The plan may change depending on the weather and I am not sure what the forecast is.”
The Test is set to kick off at 1pm (UK time) with a low chance of rain forecast.
Photo: ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP
