IT is strange but true that Finn Russell, the Glasgow fly-half, has won two caps for Scotland but never played in a European Cup game.

With the kind of competition there is at his club, there is no guarantee that he will put that anomaly right this weekend - though he is desperately hoping that will be the case.

"If I play this weekend, it will be the first time," he said. "It would be great to play against Bath, for me as a 10 to play against George Ford, a quality young player, would be great. I have never played against him so to have a shot and see what it was like would be good.

"It was brilliant to get my first start [of the season] last weekend, especially against Ulster. I have never played in Belfast either, so it was a chance to go and see what it was like. I felt it went pretty well, we were unfortunate not to get the win, and so broke our winning streak, but these things happen. Both Glasgow and Bath have been in good form this season so the fact we both lost at the weekend won't matter that much. If anything, they will have more fire in their bellies but so will we. It will be a tough game."

After making his Scotland debut against the USA in the summer, Russell injured his shoulder in the Test against Canada and it is only in the last couple of weeks that he has returned to action with two runs off the bench for Glasgow before getting his first start at the weekend.

He admits that it is going to make life tough for the coaches who have seen Duncan Weir start the season in prime form while Peter Horne has also had runs at fly-half to keep the pressure up, and that is only the competition for his place in the Glasgow side. When it comes to Scotland he has Tom Heathcote of Edinburgh and possibly others such as Greig Tonks.

Russell was speaking at a promotion event in Glasgow to help publicise ticket sales for the Autumn Tests in November, and admitted he still finds it a bit surreal being one of the main figures in the campaign.

"This time last year I was playing with Ayr week-in, week-out. If you had told me then that I would be here doing this, it is a pretty strange feeling: something I have not got used to yet. It is quite good fun, though," he said.

He was joined by a figure for whom only injury would prevent his involvement in the Tests. Euan Murray is back in his home city of Glasgow and relishing the lease of life his homecoming has given his career. "It is good fun to be back; it is a really confident and enjoyable atmosphere," he said. "With Scotstoun as our home ground, there is a big fanbase now compared to what it was before. There is excellence throughout: the coaching, the strength and conditioning staff, the medical staff, the [playing] strength in depth, is all really good. It is hard for the coaches to pick the team and that is a really healthy thing for the squad."

In reality, he is back in Glasgow so that coaches who care about Scotland can keep an eye on him and try to nurse his 34-year-old body through at least to next year's Rugby World Cup, and possibly beyond. He acknowledged that after all the injuries he has suffered in recent times he is taking nothing for granted and is looking no further ahead than he must.

The November games, however, are a definite target. "I'm definitely looking forward to them," Murray said. "Argentina are always a very hard team to play but I am glad we do not have New Zealand first up; they are one of the best teams in the world so it is nice to have a chance to have a game before we play that fixture. Then Tonga will be another really hard game for whoever plays in it. It will be good fun to play down at Kilmarnock."

n Glasgow Warriors were given a measure of reassurance after their weekend defeat in Ulster when Alan O'Connor, the Irish province's lock, was yesterday cited over the incident that left Mark Bennett, the Glasgow centre, unconscious after he had been held by the throat in a maul. If he is found guilty, O'Connor faces a lengthy ban.

Across the country, Edinburgh also look like being without one of their key players after confirming that Cornell Du Preez, the flanker, had required surgery on the ankle he broke during the club's win over the Newport Gwent Dragons at the weekend. He is now out of hospital but will require more tests before they can confirm how long he will be out for, though it is unlikely to be before the end of the season.