Scotland's Finn Russell: From pre-match burger and chips to Six Nations' top fly-half

From pre-match meals of burger, chips and a pint of coke with Glasgow Warriors, to being the best-performing fly-half successful the Six Nations, Finn Russell's lasting is astatine an all-time high.

Russell is presently this season's starring points scorer, has had much carries than immoderate different fig 10 - arsenic good arsenic the astir metres made, the astir passes, the astir assists, the astir kicks successful play and the astir kicked metres.

Before Saturday's important travel to Paris to look a France squad ranked 2nd successful the world, Russell talked to BBC Radio 5 Live's Rugby Union Daily astir his idiosyncratic vocation and his country's chances of winning the title.

• 'Russell reminds america wherefore we fell successful emotion with rugby'
• Scotland urged to support Townsend

'I thin to devour what I fancy earlier games'

Having near schoolhouse astatine 16 to bid arsenic a stonemason, Russell admits helium has ne'er been your emblematic rugby bloke.

The proposition from a team-mate that his fare includes the infamous deep-fried Mars barroom proves to beryllium apocryphal arsenic "I've ne'er really had one".

"But, erstwhile I archetypal started astatine Glasgow, I utilized to person burger, chips and a pint of coke," Russell admits. "That was my pre-match - a fewer hours earlier the crippled obviously.

"Monday to Friday, I'll devour mean steadfast meals and then, successful that 24 hours earlier a game, I thin to devour what I fancy to consciousness bully to spell into that crippled successful a bully caput space.

"Even successful the gym, I don't bash that overmuch and perchance don't propulsion myself arsenic hard arsenic I can. But I deliberation I'm doing what I request to bash to get acceptable for that crippled astatine the weekend."

It is an idiosyncratic attack that extends to his investigation of upcoming opponents.

"I'll bash what I request to do," helium stressed. "Sometimes I'll beryllium determination to 11 oregon 12 astatine night. Each week, I fig retired what I request to bash and what I consciousness I request to bash - whether it is much analysis, oregon much rehab connected my shoulder, oregon it's much kicking."

'Back successful bully relationship' with Townsend

Russell admits that his relaxed attack tin sometimes beryllium misinterpreted arsenic indifference, specified arsenic erstwhile helium laughed connected his mode disconnected the transportation aft being sent disconnected for the archetypal clip successful his vocation portion playing for Glasgow nether Townsend.

"I'm fortunate - I'm not truly affected by mistakes," helium says. "I thin to laughter it disconnected and get connected to the adjacent thing. When I americium annoyed, I conscionable laughter it off."

His narration with Townsend deteriorated erstwhile Russell, who had already been disciplined for an unauthorised nighttime retired with team-mates during past year's Six Nations, was omitted from Scotland's archetypal Autumn Nations Series squad.

However, helium was soon recalled and believes helium and Scotland's caput manager person forged a "good relationship" wherever they tin "challenge 1 another" without either coming distant reasoning "he doesn't similar me".

"I didn't person my champion play astatine each past year," Russell admits. "So I was astir apt a spot frustrated with that and however I was playing and however the squad was playing. Something conscionable wasn't working.

"And, earlier I came backmost successful November, I had to wide up a fewer things with him. Nothing disconnected the field. There were 2 antithetic systems we were trying to usage and it conscionable wasn't rather moving and I deliberation astir apt led to maine becoming frustrated.

"This year, we've been a batch clearer connected however we privation to attack. Me and Gregor are moving truly closely. I'll spot antithetic things to him, but we've got a truly unfastened and honorable narration that we tin conscionable chat astir it."

Having moved from Glasgow to Racing 92 successful 2018, Russell recovered - partially due to the fact that of the connection obstruction - helium was "left to bash my ain thing" by the French top-flight club's coaches.

"Coaches volition request to support getting amended astatine managing players to get the champion our of them alternatively than it being astir being successful the gym and having to deed targets and, whenever you are extracurricular the stadium, you person to enactment similar this.

"There's ever going to beryllium squad rules and protocols, but the amended you get to cognize your players, the amended you tin power them arsenic an individual. If you person a manager you truly get connected with, you are going to truly play for them."

Scotland 'not yet played to potential'

Whatever his narration with his coaches astatine Scotland and Racing, it is moving and Russell's mean of a enactment interruption each 15 passes acold outstrips immoderate different fly-half successful this season's Six Nations.

France's Romain Ntamack has 1 successful 24, Ireland's Johnny Sexton 1 successful 40, England's Owen Farrell 1 successful 41 and Wales' Dan Biggar 1 successful 46.

Indeed, portion Russell's kicking has been a large origin this season, Townsend has been trying to promote his fly-half to tally much with the shot himself arsenic they hole to crippled a mode to decision a French broadside into which helium has a peculiar insight.

"It's astir uncovering patterns successful the defence that you tin past prime apart," Russell says.

"They've evidently got a truly bully defence and they person large forwards. Good set-piece and successful the scrum - and a backmost 3 truthful unsafe successful attack. But determination are immoderate opportunities there. Hopefully I tin find a fewer patterns I tin prime apart."

Finding those patterns - portion helium and spouse Emma juggle with the accomplishment of archetypal child, Charlie - has been important arsenic Scotland bushed England and Wales contempt a deficiency of shot by making the champion of their scoring chances.

Russell realises determination is not lone country but a request for improvement.

"As acold arsenic winning the rubric this year, radical person been saying the Ireland crippled is going to beryllium massive, but we inactive person France successful France," helium adds.

"Yes, we person won 2 games, but I don't deliberation England oregon Wales were astatine their best. France and Ireland volition beryllium truthful overmuch harder than some of those. We are going to person to up it again for this France game.

"It's breathtaking due to the fact that we've got maximum points, but we've not played to our imaginable yet."