The time is now if Finn Russell and this \u2018golden generation\u2019 of Scotland rugby are to fulfil their potential, says former star Rory Lawson.<\/p>\n
Ahead of Saturday\u2019s sold-out clash with New Zealand, Lawson insists his old team has never been better placed to challenge the best in the business.<\/p>\n
Gregor Townsend\u2019s men are coming off their biggest ever win at Murrayfield \u2013 85-0 over the USA \u2013 and a British and Irish Lions tour to which Scotland contributed a record 13 players.<\/p>\n
It is not unreasonable to view this generation of Scottish players as golden, given that Russell has a claim to being the best playmaker on the planet and Blair Kinghorn, Huw Jones, and Sione Tuipulotu are series-winning Lions.<\/p>\n
Duhan van der Merwe, Ben White and Darcy Graham also pulled on the famous red shirt in Australia this summer, as did the forward quintet of Pierre Schoeman, Scott Cummings, Ewan Ashman, Rory Sutherland and Gregor Brown.<\/p>\n
Yet Scotland as a team continue to fire blanks. Twenty-five years of Six Nations rugby: zero titles. 120 years of fixtures against the All Blacks: not one victory.<\/p>\n
On the face of it, the Kiwis face a monster challenge this weekend, even if the Scots are without injured midfield ace Jones. History tells a different story.<\/p>\n
Only twice in 32 matches have the tartan army denied New Zealand victory, the draws of 1964 and 1983. Across the piece, their overall points difference against the All Blacks? minus 581.<\/p>\n
Finn Russell \u2013 The rock star<\/p>\n
In Russell, Lawson believes that Scotland have a rock star of a player, a man with that rare ability of improving those he plays alongside.<\/p>\n
But he adds: \u201cFor Scotland to properly say this squad is starting to fulfil their potential, they need to be winning four Six Nations games [in a campaign] and be in the mix for a title. Not two or three and finding themselves in that middle tier.<\/p>\n
\u201cI look at this squad and they should not be finishing fourth or worse in the Six Nations [as they have done in nine of the 11 tournaments since Russell claimed the keys to No.10]. With this group of players, they should always be first, second or third.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lawson argues that pressure is a privilege, and the reason this Scotland squad are now under pressure to deliver is because, in his opinion, they are good enough to beat the best teams in the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt should inspire rather than suffocate them,\u201d adds the 31-cap scrum-half. \u201cExpectation is only aligned to what people believe the squad are capable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Russell is well equipped to perform under that scrutiny, as his England centre teammate at Bath, Ollie Lawrence, told the Rugby Legends podcast when asked what makes him so good.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis ability to stay calm in the pressure moments. He never seems too fazed by things. That gives confidence to the team to not worry about things when it\u2019s not going too right. We just crack on to the next thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lawson agrees. \u201cFinn is bringing the best out of the players around him at Bath. Those guys are playing the best rugby of their careers. You can look at Finn and say he\u2019s an amazing individual player. But Finn makes whole teams tick.<\/p>\n
\u201cLikewise with Scotland, the players around him understand how he plays and love playing with him. The thing is this, he\u2019s a very different player to the Finn Russell of five to eight years ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I hear people pin the \u2018maverick\u2019 title on Finn now, I shoot it down. His game IQ is unbelievable. He\u2019s tightened up a few things which he knew he needed to do to reduce his error count.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has become so astute in how he wants to run a game. He puts the right demands on people. His kick-pass-run game has got a really good balance.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d say his kick pass is as good as anyone in the game, his passing is the best in the world of any of the fly-halves, and defensively, he is incredibly brave; he rarely misses a tackle. He\u2019s the linchpin around everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Russell, however, is 33. While he will tell you age is just a number and he is playing the best rugby of his life, the fact remains nobody has a limitless shelf life.<\/p>\n
If Scotland are to achieve with him it is going to have to be sooner rather than later. Hence Lawson urging the men of the thistle to set new standards this season.<\/p>\n
For this New Zealand game not to be another hard luck story to set alongside the narrow defeats of 2014, 2017 and 2022, all of which Scotland were in position to win.<\/p>\n
Scotland pushing for Six Nations titles<\/p>\n
And for the upcoming Six Nations, with England and France at home and little to fear, on recent evidence, from away days in Wales and Italy, to give them their first four-win campaign in the 26-year history of the extended tournament.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe expectation people have for this Scotland side highlights the quality they\u2019ve got,\u201d adds Lawson, who is working for TNT Sports during the Quilter Nations Series.<\/p>\n
\u201cScotland punch well above their weight in terms of playing numbers and professional players in the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut when you strip it back and look at the quality of player this group has, I don\u2019t think it\u2019s too much to ask of them that they are pushing for Six Nations titles.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve not been there consistently enough. And they\u2019ll be saying the same thing behind closed doors.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m yet to find a Scotland player over the last five years who\u2019s come out on the back of a Six Nations loss and said, \u2018they were just better than us\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
Watch every match of the Quilter Nations Series live on TNT Sports and discovery+ from 1-29 November.<\/a><\/p>\n