Finn Russell focusing on his own game ahead of Johnny Sexton showdown

Russell does know what it is to defeat Ireland. He was out-half in 2017 when they had five points of a buffer come the final whistle but Sexton, interestingly, was absent that day

READY FOR BATTLE: Scotland's Finn Russell during a training session at the Stade des Arboras in Nice, France. Pic: PA

One is considered a genius, the other a tactical mastermind. Both are generational masters of their particular craft and yet a gulf exists between Johnny Sexton and Finn Russell as they bid to outfox the other on Saturday when Ireland and Scotland meet in a do-or-die Pool B game in Saint-Denis.

Sexton has won pretty much everything the game of rugby has to offer, this tournament notwithstanding. Russell’s career has been a string of illuminating moments but it lacks the spellbinding imprimatur that comes with silverware and his experiences against Sexton and Ireland serve as a microcosm of the relationship between the countries themselves.