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Finn Russell

Russell representing Scotland during the 2017 Summer Internationals

Full name

Finn Alastair Russell

Date of birth

23 September 1992 (age 32)

Place of birth

Bridge of Allan, Stirling, Scotland

Height

1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)

Weight

87 kg (192 lb; 13 st 10 lb)

School

Wallace High School

University

Lincoln University

Rugby union career

Senior career
Position(s)	Fly-half, Centre
Current team	Bath
Years	Team	Apps	(Points)
2013–2018	Glasgow Warriors	81	(596)
2018–2023	Racing 92	107	(470)
2023–	Bath	43	(393)
Correct as of 25 May 2025
National team(s)
Years	Team	Apps	(Points)
2012	Scotland U20	10	(10)
2014–	Scotland	87	(436)
2017, 2021, 2025	British & Irish Lions	3	(24)
Correct as of 27 July 2025

Finn Alastair Russell, born on September 23, 1992, is a professional rugby player from Scotland. He plays as a fly-half for Bath Rugby, a club in England. Finn also captains the Scotland national team.

Russell first played for Scotland in 2014 against the United States. He has played in over eighty international matches since then. He also played for the British & Irish Lions team on their tours to New Zealand in 2017 and South Africa in 2021. In 2024, Russell was featured in the Netflix show Six Nations Full Contact.

Early Life and Rugby Start
Club Rugby Journey
International Rugby Career
- Playing for Scotland
- Playing for British & Irish Lions
Life Outside Rugby
Career Highlights
- International Tries
Awards and Trophies
See also

Early Life and Rugby Start

Finn Russell grew up in a family that loved sports. His father worked in sports, and his grandparents were international badminton players. His uncle and great-grandfather played cricket for Scotland. Finn's brothers are also well-known rugby players.

Russell began playing rugby at Wallace High School in Stirling. After high school, he chose not to go straight to university. Instead, he worked for three years as a stonemason while developing his rugby skills.

In 2013, Russell received the John Macphail Scholarship. This scholarship allowed him to spend 15 weeks in New Zealand at Lincoln University. He played for local clubs in the Christchurch area and trained at the Canterbury Rugby Football Union's special high-performance center.

Club Rugby Journey

Starting with Ayr

Russell first played rugby for Stirling County. In 2011, he moved to Falkirk to get more playing time in the first team. After a tournament, Russell was chosen to play for Ayr. He helped Ayr win both the league and cup in the 2012–13 Scottish Premiership season. Russell joined Glasgow Warriors in 2012 but was injured during his first season there.

Time with Glasgow Warriors

Russell returned to Glasgow Warriors for the 2013/14 season. Many of Glasgow's top players were away for international games. This gave Russell a chance to make his professional debut. He came off the bench against Zebre in February 2013.

In November 2013, Russell made his first start for the club. He played as an Inside Centre against the Newport Gwent Dragons. Glasgow's coach, Gregor Townsend, then offered Russell a full-time contract starting in the 2014–15 season.

The 2014–15 season was very important for Russell and Glasgow. He helped them win the Pro12 title. In the last regular season game, he scored 22 points, including two tries, to secure a home play-off. The next week, in the semi-final, Russell made a key pass that led to a try, tying the score. He then kicked the winning conversion to send Glasgow to the final.

In the final match, held in Belfast, Russell scored a try and four conversions. Glasgow won 31–13 against Munster, earning their first-ever Pro12 title.

Russell playing for Racing 92 in 2020

Moving to Racing 92

On November 29, 2017, it was announced that Russell would leave Glasgow Warriors. He moved to the French club Racing 92 after the 2017–18 season. He took over the fly-half position from the famous All Black player, Dan Carter.

In December 2022, it was announced that Russell would join Bath Rugby after the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

Playing for Bath Rugby

After Scotland's early exit from the 2023 Rugby World Cup, Russell joined Bath Rugby. He made his debut as a substitute in the first game of the 2023-24 Premiership Rugby season. He helped Bath win 34-26 against Newcastle Falcons.

Russell got a groin injury during a game against Exeter Chiefs. This kept him out of action for five weeks. He returned for the last two regular season games. He played a big part in helping Bath reach the playoffs for the first time in four years. In the semi-final against Sale Sharks, Russell scored 16 points. This led Bath to a 31-23 victory and their first Premiership Final in nine years. However, Bath lost the final 25-21 to Northampton Saints.

Russell was very important in Bath's journey to the final of the 2024–25 EPCR Challenge Cup. They won the trophy by beating Lyon 37–12.

In June 2025, Russell won his second career league title. He scored 13 points and set up a try as Bath defeated Leicester Tigers in the 2024–25 Premiership Rugby Final. Just five days later, on June 19, 2025, Bath Rugby announced that Russell had signed a contract extension until June 2028. This added two more years to his contract.

International Rugby Career

Playing for Scotland

In 2012, Russell played for the Scotland U20 team. He played as a centre in the World Rugby U20 Championships. Russell was first called up to the senior national team in 2014. This was during Scotland's summer tour of North America. He started in games against the United States and Canada. That autumn, he started in all three of Scotland's November games. These were against Argentina, New Zealand, and Tonga.

In 2014, Russell had a very fast rise in his career. He joined the national team in just six months. Russell became Scotland's main fly-half during the 2015 Six Nations Championship. He started four of the team's five matches. He missed one game due to a suspension. Russell scored his first international try in the final game against Ireland.

Russell was chosen for Scotland's team of 31 players for the 2015 Rugby World Cup. He scored a try in the team's first win against Japan.

In the summer of 2017, Russell toured the Southern Hemisphere with Scotland. He helped create two tries in the first game against Italy in Singapore. A week later, he scored a try himself during a win against Australia.

Russell played in all five of Scotland's games in the 2018 Six Nations Championship. In the 25-13 win over England, he made an amazing pass from his own 22-yard line. This led to a try scored by Sean Maitland. Many experts called this skill one of the greatest ever.

Russell played in four of Scotland's games in the 2019 Six Nations Championship. He missed one game due to injury. He scored a try and two conversions. He also played a key role in Scotland's comeback against England, which ended in a 38-38 draw.

Russell in a Six Nations match against Italy in March 2024

Russell played in three of Scotland's group matches at the 2019 Rugby World Cup. He scored a try in the loss to Japan. Scotland did not make it to the quarter-finals that year.

In 2023, Russell was chosen as one of two specialist stand-offs for Scotland's 33-player squad for the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France. In 2024, Russell was named co-captain for the 2024 Six Nations Championship alongside Rory Darge.

Playing for British & Irish Lions

After a great performance for Scotland against Australia in Sydney, Russell was called up to the 2017 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand. He played briefly in a game against the Hurricanes. He became Lion number #835.

In 2021, Russell was chosen for the 37-man squad for the Lions' tour to South Africa. He scored his first Lions points by kicking four conversions in a big win over the Sharks. He missed the first two Test matches due to an Achilles tendon injury. However, he was chosen for the final third Test. He came on after only 11 minutes and kicked 11 points. Many people praised Russell's performance.

In May 2025, Russell was selected for his third tour by Head Coach Andy Farrell. This was for the 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia. He started the first Test and scored three conversions and a penalty, making all his kicks. The Lions won 19-27. He played the full 80 minutes in the second Test, which the Lions also won, securing the series victory. His kicking during the game was very important to the win.

Life Outside Rugby

After high school, Finn Russell worked as a stonemason for three years. He once said that working in a cold, rainy shed made him appreciate playing rugby even more. He would think back to that job if he had a tough day at rugby practice.

Russell has a few nicknames. Some call him 'Russell the Muscle' because he is quite slender for a rugby player. His teammate Simon Zebo also gave him the nickname 'White Chocolate'.

Russell has been in a relationship with Emma Canning, a Scottish heptathlete, since 2017. In November 2022, they welcomed their first child, a daughter.

Career Highlights

International Tries

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	21 March 2015	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, Scotland	Ireland	8–17	10–40	2015 Six Nations Championship
2	23 September 2015	Kingsholm Stadium, Gloucester, England	Japan	43–10	45–10	2015 Rugby World Cup
3	18 March 2017	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, Scotland	Italy	8–0	29–0	2017 Six Nations Championship
4	17 June 2017	Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, Australia	Australia	17–7	24–19	2017 mid-year rugby union internationals
5	16 March 2019	Twickenham Stadium, London, England	England	29–31	38–38	2019 Six Nations Championship
6	13 October 2019	Nissan Stadium, Yokohama, Japan	Japan	5–0	21–28	2019 Rugby World Cup
7	14 March 2021	Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, Scotland	Ireland	8–8	24–27	2021 Six Nations Championship
8	26 February 2023	Stade de France, Paris, France	France	17–7	21–32	2023 Six Nations Championship
9	24 November 2024	Murrayfield, Edinburgh, Scotland	Australia	27–6	27–13	2024 end-of-year rugby union internationals