Finn Russell exclusive: Scotland fly-half says beating All Blacks would be 'mental' as history tilt beckons in Quilter Nations Series
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Updated 07/11/2025 at 12:29 GMT
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Finn Russell believes the successful British & Irish Lions tour of Australia will instil a stronger winning mentality in the Scotland team as they aim to finally overcome New Zealand at Murrayfield this Saturday, live on TNT Sports. In 120 years since their first meeting, Scotland have yet to beat the All Blacks, recording just two draws in 32 matches, several of which slipped from their grasp.
Lions tour has given Scottish players 'extra boost of confidence' - Russell
Video credit: TNT Sports
Finn Russell believes the successful British & Irish Lions tour of Australia delivered a "boost of confidence" for the Scottish tourists as they look to finally take the scalp of New Zealand at Murrayfield this Saturday.
There were eight Scottish players selected in the initial 38-man Lions squad, while Rory Sutherland, Ewan Ashman, and Darcy Graham were called up as mid-tour replacements.
They joined Pierre Schoeman, Scott Cummings, Finn Russell, Huw Jones, Sione Tuipulotu, Blair Kinghorn, and Duhan van der Merwe.
Glasgow Warriors tight-head prop Zander Fagerson had to withdraw due to a calf injury picked up in April.
Australia were defeated 2-1 during the series, and Gregor Townsend's contingent have made the perfect start to the Quilter Nations Series, which is live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
Scotland produced a scintillating performance at Murrayfield last weekend, running in 13 tries to secure a record-breaking 85-0 victory over the United States in their opening autumn Test.
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The hosts stormed to a 45-0 lead at half-time after a ruthless display. Dylan Richardson opened the scoring before Duhan van der Merwe, Darcy Graham, and Jamie Dobie each crossed twice before the interval.
After the break, both Graham and Dobie completed their hat-tricks, with additional tries from Kyle Rowe, Stafford McDowall, George Horne, and Ollie Smith capping a dominant and historic afternoon for the Scots.
Russell - among a group of A-listers not involved last Saturday - is now relishing the chance to face the All Blacks, who arrive in Edinburgh having beaten Ireland in Chicago, nine years after the sides first met at Soldier Field.
"I think we've got lots that we can achieve," the Bath fly-half began telling TNT Sports. "When I was chatting with the Lions coming back from the tour there, I think a lot of us that were on tour, it gave us an extra boost of confidence.
"[There were] seven or eight that were there, the boys that got flown out later on in the tour, that we're as good as other nations – in the Six Nations anyway.
"A bit of confidence there will help, and I think that will then hopefully seep into the rest of the team, which I think is great.
"At Bath we were lucky enough to win the PREM last year. Glasgow won two years ago, Blair [Kinghorn] won back-to-back years in France.
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Scotland proved far too strong for USA
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"So we've got quite a few boys on the team that are winning tournaments now. It's not every year, but we're winning, so we're getting used to that.
"Everyone does say winning is contagious. I think that's something I've found when I've been playing at Bath, that you get used to winning, you have this self-belief and self-confidence.
"So trying to bring that out in all the players is going to be important over the next few weeks and then going forward to building up to the World Cup."
He added: "One of the other things from the Lions, it's players demanding the standards of each other. I think that's probably more important than the coaches demanding it from us.
"You can have a coach shouting at you and telling you whatever it is on the pitch, but it's up to us as players if we want to change, and we want to get it right, and we want to push each other.
"It's a lot stronger and a lot more meaningful when it comes from the players, rather than the coaches telling you, if you feel like they're on their back.
"If it's your team-mate who you're playing alongside or you're playing against, it means more coming from them, I think, than it does from the coaches. No offence, Gregor!
"I think that's something that we probably brought back from the Lions is that as players we need to start driving this more so than the coaches, and we need to take ownership of what we want to achieve.
"Hopefully that will be shown in the next few weeks and then building up to the next World Cup."
Saturday marks the first time in three years that Murrayfield welcomes New Zealand. One hundred and twenty years on from their first encounter, Scotland are yet to beat them, registering just two draws among 30 defeats.
The painful memories of three near-misses in more recent times will be carried onto the pitch by those attempting to end the wait for glory – and Russell has dismissed suggestions that this weekend's opponents are a diminishing force in world rugby.
"It would be mental, it would be amazing," the 33-year-old reflected on the prospect of victory.
"I've played them a few times, and it's not just that I've never beaten them or that this group's never beaten them. Scotland as a nation has never beaten them.
"I was chatting to Chris Paterson, and he was telling me about the times that he'd played against them.
"You're getting close, and they seem to find this next gear that they've got, or the players they bring off the bench have this next level they can bring the team up to.
"They're such a hard team to beat. A few folk are saying they're maybe not at their best just now, but I would probably disagree with that.
"They've not got the likes of Dan Carter or Richie McCaw there just now, who are some of the biggest names in rugby.
"But if you look at the players they had at the weekend, they're the same level of player, maybe just not as big a name.
"They've had a great Rugby Championship in the summer, and they're sitting second in the world. I wouldn't say it's a weakened All Blacks team.
"It would be amazing to beat them; it would be a dream for us all. They're probably the most iconic team in rugby, if not sport.
"We'll see how it goes, but I think we need to make sure we get our stuff right if we're going to have a chance to push them and get the win."
Russell acknowledges there can be no margin for error with New Zealand still smarting from narrowly missing out to South Africa in this year's Rugby Championship.
The All Blacks have played 10 Tests since the start of July, and they will be focused on completing a Grand Slam of the northern hemisphere after clinching a third successive victory over Ireland in front of a sell-out 61,841 crowd – not that Russell is fretting.
"I wouldn't say I get nervous," he added when the prospect of facing New Zealand was put to him.
"Maybe it is the way that I deal with nerves. I love big games because I don't see it as nerves, but I've got to make sure that everything's as good as it can be just now.
"There's no room for error, so I've got to be at my best to play in this game and be at my best in this game to hopefully win it. It's a test of myself rather than I can't make a mistake.
"It's more like how good can I be to try and beat this opposition that I'm playing against.
"That's why I've probably always said my whole career that I don't get nervous because I view it as an exciting challenge."
Watch and stream every game of the Quilter Nations Series live on TNT Sports and discovery+
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