WITH doubt hanging over the availability of Finn Russell for Saturday’s meeting with France, Scotland’s head coach Gregor Townsend has kept the most obvious contenders to take over at stand-off in suspense.
Duncan Weir was called into the squad yesterday, but should Russell fail to get through the concussion protocols that he is undergoing as a result of the head knock which ended his involvement in Racing 92’s Top-14 meeting with Toulouse on Sunday, the choice looks to be between two more of his former Glasgow Warriors club-mates, Pete Horne, who has been his long-time playmaking partner, and Adam Hastings, his under-study at Scotstoun last season.
READ MORE: Finn Russell a major doubt for Scotland's 6 Nations clash against France
Bringing in Hastings would have looked to be the most straightforward option until recently, but his loss of form over the festive period has seen Warriors head coach Dave Rennie lean more heavily on Horne’s experience, including for Saturday’s visit to Cardiff Blues which saw them claim a bonus-point win, and that appears to have complicated matters for the national team’s coaches.
“Adam played in the autumn against Wales and Argentina as well. He has played a bit more at 10 at international level recently. We will wait and see. It is speculation at the moment. Gregor pulled us both aside and was honest and just said we had not made a decision yet and for us both to get as much reps as we can and we will make a call later in the week,” Horne said yesterday.
The 29-year-old is perhaps the safer pair of hands at a time when the team has already been depleted by injuries to Stuart Hogg, Huw Jones and Ryan Wilson, and he was very much on message as he contemplated the options.
“I will do what I am told,” he said. “We will see how Gregor goes. If I get put in in the centre then great, if not and I am on the bench, I will come on and do my job the best I can.
“I would look forward to playing at 10. It would be a good, exciting challenge. I played there pretty much 75 per cent of the game against France a couple of years ago and I played all right on Saturday, so I am in a good spot. If I get handed the keys I will give it my best go. Everybody round me will help me get ready and if it is Adam I will help him and we will see how it goes.
“I have played primarily at 12 this year but in the last five or six games I played for Glasgow I actually played at 10. It was a good game to play in against a good Blues team that was not missing too many boys. It was nice to go out and get a good win.”
The injury to Jones means there has to be a change to three-quarter line, however, which must also be factored in.
With the capacity to play in either centre role of Sam Johnson, one of Scotland’s best performers in the Six Nations so far, there is the option of bringing both Hastings and Horne into the starting XV, which would allow the team management to revert to a preference for relying on established club partnerships.
Horne made it clear, however, that he expects the ebullient Russell to come through and even if he does not, pointed out that for all the concern that might be generated outside it, the mood in the camp is inevitably excellent since those who have been ruled out are not there and they have been replaced by those who are excited by the opportunity that now presents itself.
“If it was all doom and gloom, what does that say to everyone around you? The next man up comes in, he’s expected to do a job,” he observed
“How many times have we seen it, where somebody is injured and you think: ‘Oh Christ . . . ’ but two minutes later the new guy has won the game? That’s how the next crop come through.
“We saw that again at the weekend, Blair [Kinghorn] was awesome again. In the Australia game [in 2017], we were all gutted when Hoggy went down in the warm-up. Then Sean Maitland came in and played brilliant at 15.
“It is what it is. We’re gutted to be without a couple of world-class players, but the rest of us are determined to get it right and we’ll have the bit between our teeth.”
He expects the same to be true of the French, however.
“We’ve had a bit of success against them at home recently, but they’re definitely a different beast over there,” said Horne. “Look at that first half against Wales, they showed what they were capable of. That was one of the best halves any team has played in the tournament.
“It was a wee bit sort of Jekyll and Hyde that game, they totally changed and were pretty poor in the second half, but it’s never nice playing a team after they’ve just been hosed.
“They’ll be looking for a reaction, everyone in the squad, every coach. There will be a bit of pressure on them from the fans and I’m sure they’ll come out all guns blazing.”
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