'When I went on the last one it was only for ten days': Finn Russell talks Lions, Racing and much more on latest Le French Rugby pod

Scotland and Racing 92 fly-half Finn Russell has insisted he is not focussing on being selected for the British and Irish Lions at the end of the season and is instead concentrating on winning silverware with his club. A main contender to be picked as one of Warren Gatland’s No10s to travel to South Africa, the Scottish player faces stern competition from Owen Farrell and Johnny Sexton, the respective captains of England and Ireland, as well as Dan Biggar of Wales.  

However, with his Parisian club in a strong position in both the Heineken Champions Cup and the Top 14 this season, Russell told the latest Le French Rugby Podcast that the rest will take care of itself if he remains focussed on Racing. 

While Russell has been serving his ban for the red card picked up in the Guinness Six Nations versus France on March 26, his Racing teammates overwhelmed Edinburgh 56-3 at La Defense Arena last Sunday to book a quarter-final clash with Bordeaux this weekend, another game the out-half will be unavailable for.  

The 28-year-old will be back for the semi-finals should Racing progress, as well as the rest of the Top 14 season where his team are currently third in the table. “I’d love to go on the tour obviously,” Russell said when asked about the Lions at the end of the season.

“When I went on the last one it was only for ten days so you experience it a little bit but by that point, the tour is cut into the Test 23 and the midweek 23, so it is a very different environment. It is the highest level you can play at for a UK and Irish player so to go there and test yourself with the best in the countries will be a great experience. I don’t know, we will see.

“It’s still a long way away. I was chatting to Gregor (Townsend) after the Six Nations and he was saying, 'You had a good tournament etc and all the best for the summer'. I was like, 'Yeah, thanks, but it’s still about twelve games left in the season here'. There is still a lot of rugby left so you never know what will happen. I have got a few weeks off just now and that will be good for the body but a big run to the end of the season and that will be full-on enough. You can’t let yourself start thinking, 'If I get picked, what is it going to be like?' 

"You can’t think about the summer. I have got to be fully focused here. We’re trying to win a couple of titles with Racing this year so if we manage to do that and I end up going on the tour then obviously that will be the best outcome, but I have got to focus on here first and then the rest will take care of itself.”