It was rugby’s equivalent of that old football chestnut about whether Lionel Messi would still be able to perform at his very best on a freezing, wet Tuesday night in Barnsley.
Did ‘maverick’ Finn Russell have what it takes to stand up and be counted when it really mattered?
Anyone who has watched the fly-half excel for Scotland over the past decade did not need convincing.
Yes, there have been mistakes and the odd unnecessary risk that hasn’t come off, as you would expect from a player who likes to always push the limits whether with ball in hand or dropped onto the edge of his boot.
Those flashes of genius are what can often light up a match or fill a highlights reel but, in truth, they form only a tiny percentage of Russell’s make-up.
After all, you don’t get courted by some of the leading clubs in the world and make almost 100 caps for your country if you can’t properly manage a game from behind the scrum, make smart decisions and perform in a way that’s best for the team.
Finn Russell poses with his daughters Skye and Charlie after Bath’s Premiership victory
Russell breaks clear to set up a crucial try for team-mate Max Ojomoh in Bath’s victory
Just as Messi would never have become the best player in the world if he didn’t also track back, make tackles and do a lot of unseen work off the ball, so Russell would not have reached the heights he has if he wasn’t willing to do the unglamorous stuff, too.
Large swathes of England, however, remained unconvinced, mistaking the smile Russell tends to wear, win or lose, for a care-free attitude or thinking the no-look passes or deft dinks in behind befuddled defenders are a sign of someone frivolous without a killer streak in their nature. Neither could be further than the truth.
Bath, though, evidently saw enough in Russell to believe he could become a pivotal piece in the puzzle and help restore the glory days to this rugby-mad but success-starved city.
The player craved silverware too, with no medals to shout about since he helped Glasgow Warriors win the Pro 12 title back in 2015.
Russell shared the hunger of head coach Johann van Graan and owner Bruce Craig to bring success back to Bath, the club happy to shell out a reported £1million a year on wages to lure the Scot from Racing 92.
Craig almost got an instant return on his investment with Bath reaching the Premiership final last season only to lose narrowly to Northampton Saints.
‘We’ll just need to do it next year now,’ Russell was caught on camera whispering to van Graan at full-time, his steely determination clear amid the disappointment.
The 32-year-old has been true to his word and then some, smashing the tired discourse from snipers that he is a ‘bottler’ who never wins anything by delivering a treble.
Bath’s victory in the Premiership made up for defeat in last year’s final
The Premiership Cup and Challenge Cup had already been secured by the time Bath returned to Twickenham on Saturday for the Premiership final against Leicester Tigers but this was the one they really wanted.
It was close again but by the end Russell had found a way to make his mark.
Virtually flawless off the tee – it was hard to avoid a wry smile and think back to his kicking struggles at the same venue for Scotland just a few months back – he also produced the stand-out moment of the match when he intercepted Handre Pollard’s pass and burst clear for the line, seemingly set to garnish his performance with a try.
Perhaps he was running out of gas and feared getting tackled or instead fancied giving himself an easier conversion kick but for Russell to then loop an audacious pass inside for Max Ojomoh to gather and score under the posts was another sign of his vision and class.
In arguably the biggest match of his career, Russell’s temperament was not found wanting.
Those who say he doesn’t care enough need only to look at the tears that streamed down his face as he took it all in after the team had returned home to The Rec or his more exuberant celebrations during the open-top bus parade around Bath the following day.
At one point Russell was pictured standing topless with a wad of cash in his hands next to Craig, both clearly loving every minute of it.
After years of bankrolling his hometown club for little success, the entrepreneur and Bath devotee had finally got his money’s worth thanks largely to the man jigging away alongside him.
Russell now joins up with the Lions squad as they prepare for this summer’s tour Down Under
It would have been understandable, then, if Russell reported for British and Irish Lions duty in Dublin on Monday morning feeling a little bit woolly-headed and tender.
Once the hangover subsides, however, it will be back to business for the man whose performance on Saturday surely ended any debate over who should start at No.10 for the Lions in the forthcoming Test series in Australia.
Fin Smith has also enjoyed an impressive season for Saints but his near namesake brings greater experience and authority, and now the winner’s medals to go alongside that.
He will surely get the nod from head coach Andy Farrell when it comes to the crunch clashes against the Wallabies.
Russell’s legacy as one of Scotland’s all-time greats is already assured but he has unfinished business with the Lions to attend to after two unfulfilling tours.
In 2017 he was one of the much-derided ‘Geography Six’ called upon by Warren Gatland on the New Zealand tour, playing for all of five minutes against the Hurricanes as a temporary replacement for Dan Biggar.
He had been expected to feature more in the 2021 Covid-affected tour to South Africa but an injury contributed to his Test involvement being restricted to just the third and deciding match in Cape Town, Russell appearing after just 10 minutes following another injury to Biggar and putting in a dynamic display that had many supporters wishing he had featured more prominently.
Barring any late setbacks, he ought to get the chance Down Under this summer to add to his already burgeoning reputation.
Three Tests starts in what will likely be his final Lions series would elevate him even higher in any list of Scottish icons and start the debate again on whether he ought to be considered the country’s finest ever rugby player.
As no supporter needs reminding, Russell is part of a Scotland generation that has never achieved anything of note and who tamely exited the last two World Cups at the pool stages.
That could go against him when compared to some of the Grand Slam-winning legends of the past as each candidate’s pros and cons are tallied up. Russell, though, has shown this season he can match individual genius with title-winning gravitas.
And in this form, few would bet against him doing the same for the Lions over the coming months to add another layer to his legacy.