I’m delighted we are opening title race against Saints, says Russell
BATH were inches away from Premiership glory despite playing almost an hour of the final with 14 men, and with their title rivals waving goodbye to household names, talismanic fly-half Finn Russell believes they are in great shape to claim the trophy this time around.
Beno Obano received a 21st minute red card but Bath led a dramatic final 21-18 with three minutes remaining as Russell rose to the occasion delivering 11 points off the tee.
Alex Mitchell's last-gasp try saw Northampton Saints crowned Premiership winners but while the 31-year-old Scotland superstar felt the anguish of coming up just short, he believes as a group they'll be better off for it as they prepare for the new Premiership season which will be broadcast live on TNT Sports.
Russell told The Rugby Paper: “The reason it hurts so much is that feeling afterwards of wondering if you'll ever be back in a final as nothing is guaranteed in sport.
“It's a great match to open up next season by going up against Northampton Saints on a Friday night. We've got a few new players in and some new tactics to bring out.
“It was a shame to get a red card early on but I thought we had a great game on top of that. People were probably sceptical about us last year but we had a great season.
“Everyone wants to win the tournament so we didn't achieve our goal. It showed how good we can be, ahead in the final until the 77th minute, so that gives the group belief we can now go on and win it.”
Big-name departures
While their title rivals have all seen big-name departures, full-back Matt Gallagher's move to Benetton is the only notable departure from The Rec with the club's pack bolstered by the signings of flanker Guy Pepper from Newcastle and second row Ross Molony from Leinster.
Owen Farrell, Billy and Mako Vuniola have all left Saracens, Courtney Lawes and Lewis Ludlam bid farewell to Franklin's Gardens, Manu Tuilagi is off to Bayonne from Sale and Harlequins saw their midfield game-changer, Springbok Andre Esterhuizen return home to the Sharks.
Russell added: “There's only a few guys who have left us that were starters last season, so we've got clear continuity from last year.
“Adding a few guys into that will be really good; Ross Moloney has come from Leinster and they are one of the best teams in Europe, he's had a good input since he's come in.
“Guy Pepper hasn't fully started training yet as he's got a little niggle but I'm looking forward to seeing him play, he was excellent when we played Newcastle away last season.”
With the Premiership cut to just 10 teams following the demise of Wasps, Worcester Warriors and London Irish, there was no overlap last season between domestic action and the Six Nations, a change that the 80-cap Scotland skipper welcomed given the importance of each of the 18 Premiership rounds.
Fully focused
The former Racing 92 star said: “It was the first time in six years that I was able to get some time off for the internationals which was really good. When I got back into the league I was fully focused knowing I was away from the international game.
“It is shorter than the French season, so you want to make as fast a start as you can, not having to pick up points late on because the games come round quickly.
“It was so competitive, going into the last round eight teams could have qualified for the top four so it showed me that every match point counts.
“We played Bristol away and I had a cross field kick that they scored from and we lost the losing bonus point. That might have been the difference had we finished one point ahead of Northampton.”
Last season was Russell's first in the Premiership following his switch from Paris in 2023 and he has fond memories from last season which he hopes to build on.
“Hopefully there'll be more moments like when I shushed the Shed against Gloucester,” said Russell.
“The funniest one was against Saracens in the second game when I got charged down two minutes in. Andy Christie, a Scotland team-mate, scored off the back of that so I was laughing running back thinking anyone but him! I got a good offload away though to set up a try so then he was laughing the other way around.
“I'm trying to lose a few kilos to get in better shape to run the ball. Hopefully I can run it better than I did last year, so I can make a few more offloads and chips.”
Competition for places across the Premiership is heating up with a British and Irish Lions tour looming next summer.
The battle for the 10 jersey looks to be tougher than ever with head coach Andy Farrell having to select from Russell, England trio George Ford, Marcus Smith, below, and Fin Smith, and Ireland's Jack Crowley.
Russell added: “For the majority of internationals that will be at the back of their mind. The most important thing is playing well for your club, so you can carry that into the inter national windows in November and February.
“It's out of control who Andy Farrell takes but they are great players. It was sad to see Ford get injured before the summer tour but I thought Marcus played really well.
“England looked good against New Zealand. I thought it was going to be close between Marcus and Fin for who started, Fin had a brilliant year. It will be interesting to see how those two go competing for the same shirt with Ford.
“There are great Irish 10s as well, so there's great competition for the Lions like there is every tour. I've got to do my thing, try and outplay them every time I play against them.”
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