Finn Russell’s Calcutta Cup heroics sealed his standing as Scotland’s greatest-ever participant. What a travesty it will be if he by no means wins a significant honour with nationwide staff

Where does Finn Russell stand in the pantheon of Scotland’s greatest players? It seems a reasonable question to ask given last weekend’s events at Murrayfield.

It was his sorcery that once again cast a spell over the Calcutta Cup – and ensured it wound up in Scottish hands for the seventh time in nine years.

During the first half in particular, Russell was on another level to any other player on the field. His one-handed flick for Huw Jones to score was outrageous.

The way he ran with the ball and weaved through English tackles in the move which led to Ben White’s try was also superb.

In terms of his own personal highlights reel against England, this might just have been the best of the lot. And that’s a high bar, given the performances he has delivered so often before in this fixture.

It raises an interesting notion. Can Russell legitimately be viewed as Scotland’s greatest ever rugby player without having actually won any major honours with the national team?

If you look at all the other names who would feature in such a debate, the vast majority were all part of Scotland teams who won silverware.

Several were Grand Slam winners in 1990; Gavin Hastings, Finlay Calder, David Sole. Others, such as Gregor Townsend, Gary Armstrong and Tom Smith, won the Five Nations title in 1999.

Going back a little further, John Rutherford and Roy Laidlaw formed a legendary half-back partnership in the team who won a Grand Slam in 1984.

There are others, such as Andy Irvine and Ian McLauchlan, who were world-class in their own era, and would thus deserve their place in any such conversation.

But could any of them claim to have been the best player in the world at any given point in their careers? It’s a tough one to gauge, yet that’s the level at which Russell is operating.

When he is dialled-in and in full flow, as he was last Saturday, only France superstar Antoine Dupont can rival him as the best player on the planet.

Over these past couple of years, since he left Racing 92 and joined Bath, Russell has taken his game to new heights.

He is not the same maverick and mercurial figure who first burst on to the scene all those years ago.

Those terms are lazy and outdated – and they do an injustice to a truly elite talent who has matured into the complete package.

Russell finished last season with a sackful of trophies at Bath. He won a Treble and followed it by masterminding a series victory for the British and Irish Lions on their tour of Australia.

That was the greatest single season from any Scottish player in history. Bar none. It moved him to the very top of the list in terms of Scotland’s all-time greats.

With Scotland, however, the trophy cabinet remains bare. Painfully so. Townsend’s team may have turned the Calcutta Cup into their own personal possession, but fans crave something more. Indeed, so does Russell.

‘I know he will be absolutely desperate to be part of a Scotland team who win something,’ said Scotland assistant coach Pete Horne when asked about Russell yesterday.

But how much time is left? Russell is 33 years old now. He’s at the absolute peak of his powers, the prime of his career, technically, physically and mentally.

That won’t last forever. He will be 35 by the time Scotland begin their next World Cup campaign in just over 18 months’ time.

That would seem like a fairly natural juncture at which to call time on his career. With rugby now more physical than ever, players who continue beyond their mid-30s are the exception rather than the rule.

It’s not beyond the realms of possibility that, in terms of chances to win a Six Nations, Russell may only have the remainder of this year’s championship, and then one last crack at it next year.

One player alone cannot win a championship, although, when you watch Russell at his best, you are tempted to believe that it might just be possible.

He needs the rest of the team around him to perform and give him a platform. If they can do that, anything could yet be possible.

Consistency is something which continues to elude this Scotland side as a group, and that’s what they have to address in the final three games against Wales, France and Ireland.

As much as we may not want to admit it, these could be the twilight years for Russell the rugby star. We might only have just over 18 months left of him in a Scotland jersey.

Plainly, it would be a travesty if the greatest player this country has ever produced finishes his career without ever winning a major trophy with Scotland.

Russell has elevated himself above and beyond the rest of Scotland’s all-time greats. Truth be told, many of them would now be the first to admit that.

But the prospect of him being empty-handed on the international stage is coming sharply into focus.

Although they may not always have seen eye to eye, Townsend and Russell have flipped the narrative of the Calcutta Cup.

Maybe that is to be their legacy. But when you have the best player on the planet in your team, a handful of wins over England – brilliant though they were – feels like scant reward.

In terms of actually winning silverware, have Scotland wasted the best years of Russell’s career? We’re maybe not quite there yet, but time is running out.

Hearts need to start backing up manager’s fighting talk on the field of play 

Some of the comments from Derek McInnes over these past few weeks have been really punchy.

The Hearts manager has expressed his inner belief that his team can go on and win the league title.

That was in stark contrast to the way he spoke about his Aberdeen side when they were in a similar battle with Celtic ten years ago.

McInnes doesn’t want the Tynecastle men being described as plucky underdogs. They are long past that.

They are top of the league for a reason and should be respected, rather than being perceived as having won a lottery ticket to be in this position.

McInnes has also aimed a few jibes at rival teams. That includes questioning an apparent lack of red cards being given against Celtic, while claiming that Hearts are now ‘annoying people’.

Any time he has addressed the media, he has been confident and outspoken. Fostering a siege mentality, it’s been Del and Hearts against the world. Good luck to him.

There’s a problem developing, however. As the business end of the season comes into view, his team look like they are starting to run out of steam.

Hearts have lost two of their last three matches in the league. For the second time this season, Rangers and Celtic have reeled them in and are within striking distance.

A pattern has emerged at the same time. In a 1-0 defeat to St Mirren in Paisley on February 3, Hearts’ xG [expected goals] was 0.25.

Seven days later, in the 1-0 derby win over Hibs via a late winner from Tomas Magnusson, it was 0.66.

In the 4-2 defeat to Rangers at Ibrox last Sunday, their xG was just 0.35. To score two goals from such a low xG speaks of over-performance, and of profiting from Rangers’ errors.

Listen, these performance metrics are not everyone’s cup of tea. There are times, especially when used as snapshots in one-off games, when they should be taken with a pinch of salt.

But a consistent pattern over three games is more telling. Hearts are not creating enough from open play at the moment.

Even against a St Mirren team who had been in dire form, the Gorgie side toiled. Even with 11 men on the pitch, before Craig Halkett was sent off, they were poor.

They need Lawrence Shankland back fit again as soon as possible. He forms part of the holy trinity in attack alongside Claudio Braga and Alexandros Kyziridis.

Goals and chances are drying up at the worst possible time. Hearts need to rediscover their spark at the top end of the pitch before it’s too late.