Finn Russell has gone Scottish. The whimsical half-opening of the XV of Scotland and Racing 92 was seen this Thursday morning at the Racing 92 training center at Plessis-Robinson (Hauts-de-Seine). However, the player should have been at the same time with his national selection to prepare the trip to Ireland for the opening of the Six Nations tournament on February 1 (5:45 pm). Although he was present in the Paris region, he did not take part in the session.
"Finn Russell will no longer play any part in the preparation of the opening match of the Six Nations tournament against Ireland, having been penalized for violating the rules of the team during training week in Edinburgh", the Scottish federation said on Twitter.
STATEMENT | Scotland team spokesperson: “Stand-off Finn Russell will play no further part in preparations for Scotland's Six Nations opener against Ireland, having been disciplined for a breach of team protocol during the week's camp in Edinburgh. He has returned to his club. "
- Scottish Rugby (@Scotlandteam) January 23, 2020According to the BBC, which revealed the departure of the Scottish star player, the reasons for this sudden departure remain "unknown". They seem to have their origin in the bad relations between the 27-year-old strategist (46 selections) and his coach, Gregor Townsend.
The World Cup did not fix anything
The British media in particular evoke a heated discussion at halftime of the epic match against England at the time of the last tournament of the Six Nations. A crazy match in which the Russell teammates, led 31-0 at the break, had ended up snatching a draw (38-38) which more on English soil.
Since then, relations between the two men have not been looking good. The elimination from the group stages during the last World Cup in Japan would not have helped. The divorce now seems consummated.
Racing 92 prepares Saturday the 14th day of the Top 14 championship with a trip to Castres. Will Finn Russell be aligned?