Finn Russell silences any doubters and makes the No 10 Lions jersey his own

Critics see mavericks as loose cannons, players unable to fit into the system and the collective, but Russell is 32 now. He has matured and adapted his game without losing what it is that makes him such a star.

QUICK-THINKING: Finn Russell of the British & Irish Lions makes a break in the lead up to his side's third try. Pic: Steve Christo/Sportsfile

Front-runner for the No.10 shirt prior to the British and Irish Lions tour, it took Finn Russell less than two minutes of Saturday’s starter on Australian soil against the Western Force to live up to that tag. That’s how impressive the Scot was, how good he is.

Dan Sheehan’s opening try came off the back of the perfect beginning, multiple phases executed against very aggressive and joined-up Force defence, and Russell’s fingerprints were all over the initial push time and again.