Glasgow Warriors | Scots must learn to grind out wins
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July 29, 2015

Scots must learn to grind out wins

Posted by Editor on July 29, 2015 10:55 AM | No comments | Print | E-mail author

Finn Russell is in the mix for a World Cup spot
Finn Russell says Scotland must learn to grind out wins in the tightest of games.

The young stand-off is in the mix for a place in Scotland's Rugby World Cup squad after a successful season with the Warriors.

And Finn wants the Scots to learn from Glasgow’s ability to pull off narrow victories.

“I learned a lot last season,” said Finn in today's Evening Times. “One game stands out against Ulster over there and they beat us. We played well, it was my first start since a shoulder injury, and I picked up a lot.

“As a young player getting 20-25 more games under my belt, I learned loads from every match I played. From a year ago to now at Glasgow we worked out a way to grind out wins sometimes. I’m looking for me and some of the other Glasgow boys to bring that into this Scotland team.”

It is now six weeks since the start of Scotland’s training camp, but the players will soon get the chance to test themselves on the playing pitch. The first of four warm-up matches – against Ireland in Dublin – is now just a couple of weeks away, and Finn is eager to get back playing again.

“I’m looking forward to getting back into the games,” he said. “You can simulate games with contact and touch and 15 on 15, but none of that is like a game, is it? A game’s so different. You can prepare for a game, but you never know what’s going to happen.

“It has been tough, especially in France – there was a lot of mental strength needed over there – and the altitude was tough. But we’ve done all the hard stuff now. This is the last bit and we need to keep it going.

“So I’m looking forward to getting back in and seeing what the challenges are when you get back into the games. In the warm-ups we’re taking on three teams we were beaten by in the Six Nations, so I’m looking forward to seeing how much we’ve improved between the Six Nations and now.”

After Ireland, Scotland travel to Turin to play Italy, then welcome the Italians back to Murrayfield before ending their warm-up games against France in Paris.

Finn says that there could be a lot of changes during the quartet of games.

“Everybody would love to play in all four, but at the same time if you are going to go to the World Cup having played four matches the month before it, you would then have another four pool matches.

"That would be tough. It will all come down to the management of the players.”