Finn Russell targets Scotland's first All Blacks win as he nears his 100th cap

Finn Russell is approaching his 100th Scotland cap with a clear ambition: to finally end his country’s 121-year winless record against New Zealand. The fly-half, speaking at Scotland’s training base ahead of their November Nations Championship opener against the All Blacks at Murrayfield, also made clear that retirement is nowhere near his thinking.

“I’m not close to finishing up anytime soon,” Russell said. “As long as I’m still enjoying it, I’ll keep going until I feel like I’ve had enough.”

Scotland have never beaten New Zealand in 34 attempts — two draws in 1964 and 1983 aside — and the weight of that history is not lost on Russell, who started all four of the most recent meetings. The first, a 24-16 defeat in 2014, was only his fourth cap. Three of those four games ended in eight-point losses, including defeats in 2022 and the most recent encounter 12 months ago, when Scotland recovered from 17-0 down to level at 17-17 before letting the game slip.

Head coach Gregor Townsend has overseen the dismantling of several long-standing hoodoos during his nine-year tenure — a 38-year winless run at Twickenham, 22 years without victory in Paris, and 22 years of fruitless trips to Cardiff among them — but Russell acknowledges that beating New Zealand would eclipse all of those.

“I definitely think there’s always been a belief,” Russell said, “but I suppose for us against the top teams, it’s just about being able to play for 80 minutes — that’s the main thing for us.”

He pointed to Scotland’s summer Test in Pretoria as evidence of what the squad is capable of. Despite losing 42-28 to South Africa in a ten-try thriller, Scotland scored four tries and created several more, suggesting the attacking quality is there when they sustain their best rugby across a full match.

Russell, who spent time at Racing 92 before his current stint at Bath, spoke candidly about his daily routines, including a recent switch from green tea to mate — a habit picked up from Argentine teammates Juan Imhoff at Racing and Santiago Carreras at Bath. It is a small detail that speaks to a player still deeply engaged with the game and the culture around it, rather than one counting down the days.

Bath’s recent form — three straight defeats heading into the international window — has provided a less comfortable backdrop, but Russell’s focus is firmly on the Scotland jersey and the chance to write a piece of history at Murrayfield.