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How Ollie Lawrence views the Fin Smith versus Finn Russell battle
By PA
England centre Ollie Lawrence has insisted that Fin Smith is not under pressure to outshine “world-class” Scotland fly-half Finn Russell during a pivotal Calcutta Cup clash at Twickenham. An intriguing subplot to Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations showdown is the battle at number 10 as Test rookie Smith seeks to build on his starring role in a thrilling 26-25 win over France on his full international debut.
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Rival out-half Russell, who hopes to recover from a head injury to feature at Allianz Stadium, is vastly more experienced and regarded by many as the leading candidate to start for the British and Irish Lions in Australia this summer.
Lawrence has close links with both men, having been a role model to England teammate Smith at former club Worcester before Russell joined his current side Bath in 2023. “I don’t really think there is too much pressure on Fin; certainly we aren’t putting pressure on him to step up or anything like that,” said Lawrence.
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“The way he played against France and controlled the game put us in the right areas of the field. He managed to set up that try (for Elliot Daly) at the end, which was testament to how he’s come on as a player. Ever since he left Worcester and went to (Northampton) Saints, he has only gone like this (upwards).
“Finn Russell is a world-class 10, a great player and I have got a huge amount of respect for him. But equally I’m definitely not looking at Fin and saying he has to match the other Finn during the game. He will do his thing, he is a confident lad and we will back him all the way. He has so much more potential and so much more to show in an England jersey.”
Smith, 22, has another chance to pull the strings for England following head coach Steve Borthwick’s decision to keep fellow fly-half Marcus Smith at full-back. Russell, meanwhile, is pushing to prove his fitness after he and teammate Darcy Graham were forced off due to a nasty collision in their country’s round-two loss to Ireland.
Having managed to subdue France star Antoine Dupont last time out, Lawrence believes England can also force errors out of Scotland’s key man. “Sometimes Finn is in his own world and he can make things happen that not everybody else can see,” said Lawrence.
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“One of his strengths is that he can create something out of nothing. He is a skill player, he has got a great passing game, great kicking game. At Bath, he is very diligent. Before I met him, I was similar in thinking he was a feel-based player but he sees pictures and understands them because of the analysis he has done.
“He can do things off the cuff but he is able to execute things that he has already seen pictures of, that teams have done before and he’s world class at doing it. It’s going to be a challenge going up against him but it was the same last week with Dupont, another world-class player. If you put pressure on them then you can force them to make errors and that is the plan on Saturday.”
England remain in the title hunt after their stunning last-gasp success over Les Bleus secured a first win over a leading nation since ultimately denying Ireland back-to-back Grand Slams in round four of last year’s championship. Lawrence is determined to ensure the statement result is not another false dawn as the hosts bid to end a four-match losing run against Scotland.
“We always felt like we were heading in the right direction but we didn’t really have the proof in the pudding,” said the 25-year-old. “One of the main messages was that we now needed to kick on and build momentum. We are eager to make sure we don’t just have one win and it turns into another loss and then you rebuild again.
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“This squad has taken some learnings from the last 12, 18 months and I think we’ve turned a corner as a team. We don’t know what they’re going to bring but always going up against Scotland, it’s a fierce rival and it’s one we’re all ready to get stuck into.”
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