WATCH: Finn Russell makes a ‘Mess(i)’ of a last-gasp gamble

Jared Wright
Bath fly-half Finn Russell and Bristol Bears' Richard Lane during the Premiership Rugby match at Ashton Gate.

Bath fly-half Finn Russell and Bristol Bears' Richard Lane during the Premiership Rugby match at Ashton Gate.

Chasing a late winner against the Bristol Bears in the West Country derby in the Premiership on Saturday, Finn Russell took a huge gamble that did not pay off.

It was a blockbuster fixture at Ashton Gate that featured 14 tries, four yellow cards and some late drama as Bath were defeated 57-44 by rivals Bristol.

Johann van Graan’s side was the form side heading into the fixture, but Pat Lam’s charges dominated the Premiership fixture and led 33-15 at the break.

Risk is not rewarded

Russell played a major role in Bath’s second-half surge as they chased a come-from-behind win, but it was ultimately his risky kick that decided the game.

The Scottish fly-half made it a six-point game in the 77th minute, slotting a penalty. From the resulting restart, Bath looked to retain possession and look to launch an attack from deep.

While in their 22, Russell spotted an opportunity for a cross-field kick for winger Joe Cokanasiga. However, he didn’t quite connect with the ball as well as he would have liked as Bristol Bears’ fullback Richard Lane pounced to snatch the ball out of the air and run in for the match-winning score.

Onlookers were quick to poke fun at the Scottish playmaker, who likened himself to Lionel Messi in Netflix’s documentary series’ Six Nations: Full Contact’, which aired earlier this week.

“Some people might say I’m good to watch – if you’re a football fan you might say like Messi,” Russell said in the documentary when asked to describe himself to non-rugby.

Following his gamble on Saturday, one remark on X, formerly Twitter, read, “Made a bit of a mess(i) of that one”, with another adding, “A rare Messi own goal.”

One fan defended the Bath and Scotland star, stating that “even Messi has an off game.”

O’Driscoll defends Russell

While the heat was on Russell after the West Country derby, former Ireland and Lions centre Brian O’Driscoll sang his praises, saying that the comparison wasn’t too far off.

“Finn Russell was in the news during the week referring to himself as rugby’s Messi,” O’Driscoll said on TNT Sports.

“It’s hard to argue with him, to be honest with you.

“If you had to pick someone, I wouldn’t be shying away from it. I know he said it tongue in cheek.

“The thing is, there’s a packed house here today and so many people will be here to support Bristol Bears, so many people will be intrigued to watch Finn Russell, they will have player cam on him.

“It’s the orchestrating, biding his time, finding the right moment, but then creating this spark of magic.

“He has lightning in his skill set and I for one always love coming to any rugby match that he’s involved in because you know something positive or negative will happen – but more often than not it’s positive these days.”

Unfortunately for Russell, O’Driscoll’s words weren’t prophetic, but as the fly-half has explained time and time again, he has the ability to forget his mistakes and move on quickly. Scotland fans will hope this time is no different as they take on Wales in their Six Nations opener next week.

READ MORE: Finn Russell’s gamble fails as Bristol defeat Bath in 101-point West Country thriller

Bath Finn Russell

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