The Butcher vs The Artist: Farrell takes on Russell

Round 1 of the 2021 Six Nations kicks off this weekend with some mouth-watering clashes for fans to savour. The second game will have the rugby world’s attention focused squarely on its proceedings as the age-old foes, England and Scotland tackle each other on the hallowed ground of Twickenham. Within this spectacle, littered with exciting individual contests, one such battle stands out above the rest, taking place in the fly-half channel, where the brilliance and brawn of England Captain Owen Farrell will meet the enigmatic artistry of Finn Russell.

Farrell has been one of the most talked about players in recent times, particularly with regard to his leadership coming to the fore as he led England to the World Cup final in 2019 – a great campaign which was thwarted by the Springboks in the end, but included a truly remarkable win over the mighty All Blacks which will be in memory for some time to come.

On a somewhat darker note, the physicality of the 29 year-old has boiled over with some regularity during his career, most notably in the tackle, where he has often exhibited a proclivity for neglecting his arms – a habit no doubt picked up during his days of rugby league. The most recent incident of this nature saw young Wasps fly-half Charlie Atkinson concussed and Farrell slapped with a five-match ban.

However, despite his slip-ups in the disciplinary department, Farrell’s all-round ability is something Saracens and England revel in. Courageous on attack and with an enviable skill-set (including a flat pass which can put his teammates behind the most rigid defensive systems), there is perhaps no better man in England to ignite the prodigious potential of their backline.

On defence, although, as touched on above, his technique has let him down on occasion in the past, he is always in the thick of it with a combative spirit and never afraid to get his hands dirty for his team.

Away from broken play, Farrell has honed his kicking skill into a sublime state. Mistakes by opposition consistently keep the England scoreboard ticking over via his boot which can operate with aplomb from well within his own half. In the 2020 competition, of which England were crowned champions, Farrell amassed a total of 48 points from the tee, averaging 9.6 per game.

Farrell will however, need to be on his defensive best this weekend as the 1.82m, 87kg frame of Finn Russell in the Scotland number 10 jersey will be itching to unleash his creative talents on the English.

Russell only featured in one Six Nations fixture in 2020 – the Round 5 clash with Wales – after the fly-half fell out with head coach Gregor Townsend over team protocol issues. However, the pair have since buried the hatchet and Russell is once more an integral part of the Scotland unit.

With the England pack expected to have the upper hand over the Scots, Farrell may be given more opportunity to shine, but Russell does not need much room to work his magic. Harbouring that rare ability to make something out of nothing, Russell can turn a game on its head with the slightest exhibition of his enviable skill. He breaks, he kicks, he offloads, he intercepts; his game is infused with an unpredictability that can leave opponents bewildered. England fullback Elliot Daly spoke this week on the danger Russell poses:

“The way he plays is very free and fearless. You have to be ready for everything. He might do a few things that come off, but you have to stay in the moment and limit them,” Daly said.

“I’ve played against him a few times now and you have to anticipate some stuff that you wouldn’t anticipate from other players.

“It’s understanding what he sees in the game and trying to work out what he’ll do, although you can’t get it right every time. 

“With Saracens, we switched off a little bit and that was the game sorted. If you look back on that match, we could have stopped that if we were a bit more alert. 

“That was in the 70th minute, so it’s about doing it for the full 80 and not switching off.”

Rest assured that Farrell, who out-weighs his Scottish counterpart by some ten kilograms, will look to enact his physicality on defence in an attempt to crush the attacking spirit of Russell; the latter will also have to keep an eye (or two) out for the tenacious Tom Curry breaking off the side of the scrum. Much of England’s success will depend on how effectively they are able to neutralise the “Russell problem”.

With so much on the line on Saturday; Six Nations, Calcutta Cup, not to mention the 150^th anniversary of rugby between these two proud nations, one hopes that the two flyhalves with bring their best games and forge a contest the rugby world can savour.