Gregor Townsend: Maverick fly-halves Finn Russell and Marcus Smith can change face of Test rugby

British and Irish Lions' Marcus Smith. Picture: Steve Haag

Gregor Townsend has backed British & Irish Lions maverick fly-halves Finn Russell and Marcus Smith to change the face of Test rugby. The Lions attack coach said he had been as frustrated as armchair viewers who sat through some tedious rugby at times in the series won 2-1 by South Africa.

The Lions managed just two tries in three Tests against the Springboks but Townsend, Scotland’s head coach, effectively called time on the old generation of game managers at number 10 and said the future lay with game-breakers such as 2021 tourists Russell and Smith.