One was the starter. The other, very nearly, had been the saviour. Dan Biggar and Finn Russell are two sharply contrasting fly-halves and they each played different roles on last summer’s British and Irish Lions tour.
The Six Nations stirs animosity and yet, regardless of national allegiance, most supporters appear to have settled on one thing. That is if everyone agrees not to speak of the Lions’ series against the Springboks, it did not happen.
But a rendezvous between Biggar and Russell, and another stark reminder in the shape of Australian referee Nic Berry, whose officiating of the first Test sparked a diplomatic incident, caused a wave of nostalgia as Wales and Scotland renewed hostilities.
Biggar had been Warren Gatland’s number 10 in South Africa, of course. Russell was only afforded a spot on the bench for the decider. After an early injury to Biggar, the Scotsman’s fizzing distribution troubled the hosts’ storied blitz defence before the Lions sunk to a gut-wrenching defeat.
Naturally, a pair of distinctive personas make it more tempting to draw comparisons. Permanently and palpably bristling with intensity, Biggar would appear to be a suitable figure to captain Wales in this tricky time while many senior colleagues are absent.
On the occasion of his 100th Test appearance, the 32-year-old sparked his side’s first bright moment. Scotland had been pounding at Wales’ 22. When they breached it, though, Liam Williams forced a turnover. Biggar could have cleared, but was alert enough to feed Owen Watkin. He followed up to receive a return pass, his boldness manufacturing a 60-metre break-out which led to a scrum penalty. Biggar converted it for a 3-0 lead.
To suggest that Russell’s on-field demeanour is more casual than that of his opposite number would be a gross understatement. Even on hitting the three beautiful kicks that undid England in round one – twin cross-field strikes in the build-up to Scotland’s penalty try and the snaking touch-finder prior to Joe Marler’s ill-fated lineout – he exuded cool.
That manner exacerbates mistakes, so when Russell’s restart sailed out on the full, his critics would have fumed. Biggar speared past Ali Price from the ensuing scrum with a powerful hand-off and made it 6-0. Another error, Russell missing touch from a penalty, would arrive later on. Prior to that, however, was a trademark intervention.
In the 12th minute, as the visitors piled up phases deep in Wales’ territory, Russell slipped back into the pocket. Earning the right to go wide is an archaic notion that becomes even less valid when a team has a red-hot wing. The width on Russell’s whipped pass simply presented Darcy Graham with more space in which to bamboozle Louis Rees-Zammit.
