Is Scotland's 'undeniable' great also one of rugby's most talented stars ever?
Scotland managed to stage an incredible comeback against Wales in the third round of the Six Nations to keep their hopes of silverware alive.
Gregor Townsend’s side struggled throughout the first half against a revitalised Welsh outfit, but their improvement in performance following the interval allowed them to emerge as 26-23 winners.
This has put Scotland in a strong position to win their first Triple Crown for 36 years and their first Six Nations championship, with their last title coming in 1999 when only five teams were competing.
Former Scotland international Jim Hamilton pointed to the performance of one man through this tournament as being key to their success, believing he is the best player to have ever worn the blue of the country.
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Since his debut during their summer 2014 tour of North America, fly-half Finn Russell has been a key player for Scotland.
Now, 88 caps later, Hamilton believes that Russell's place as the country's greatest ever player, and one of the best to ever play rugby, cannot be questioned.
“It's undeniable – I don't need to add anything else on his performances. They speak for themselves. But what I do know is that he is Scotland's greatest ever player, and it's not even close," Hamilton argued.
“I'm trying to think of other names that you can throw into the mix, and you can't. From an attack perspective, he is one of the most talented players who have ever played the game. How he sees the game, how he reads the game, how he influences his games and then defensively as well, but he's a physical, all-round superstar of a player.
“For Finn Russell to be kind of really seen as the best player that Scotland's ever produced – and I see him as that already – but I think in order for other people of maybe slightly different, older demographics, it will be what can Finn win in a Scotland jersey?
“He knows that, and he wants that as well. But I suppose until we do something that's really good in the Six Nations – i.e., winning a championship or winning a Triple Crown – people would start throwing in some old names in there, Gavin Hastings, David Sole, John Jeffrey and all of these names.
“We're talking about unbelievably conditioned athletes. And for me, Finn Russell would be among the top 20 players in the world who have ever played the game. Within that makes him Scotland's greatest ever player, hands down. It’s undeniable for me.”
Jim Hamilton on the importance of Scotland’s win over Wales
Scotland upset the odds in Murrayfield in the second round of this year's Championship as they won the Calcutta Cup and ended England’s hopes of winning the Grand Slam.
However, this has become a common sight in the Six Nations under Townsend, but they have usually failed to back it up.
It looked to be going that way in the first half against Wales before they managed to stage a comeback and, in the process, keep their Triple Crown hopes alive.
Hamilton believes it was key they managed to get over the line despite not being at their best, as it shows an evolution within Townsend’s side.
He said: “From a mental perspective, their result demonstrated a new Scotland. We’ve struggled to back up performances, and history tells us that, so I understand the narrative around that. I was concerned by the drop-off in performance, especially when it was being on a six-day turnaround. But naturally, I'm very happy with the win.
“We showed real resolve in a match where we weren't at the level where we probably expected us to be, especially with all the noise in the lead-up to that game that Scotland wouldn't be able to back up the performances. I thought they would have come out and said, Right, we're going to prove everyone wrong.”
Scotland will get their chance to win their first Triple Crown for 36 years when they face Ireland on the final day of the 2026 Six Nations, March 14, at 14:10 GMT.
Topics: Rugby, Scotland, Rugby Union
Brendan McGilligan