'Finn Russell spent three days boozing and still pulled off magic – he's a game-changer'

EXCLUSIVE: Finn Russell has been passed fit to face England in Saturday's Calcutta Cup clash - and one former team-mate has illustrated just how big an impact he can make for Scotland

England great Chris Ashton has detailed the extent of Finn Russell's talents - even after three days of boozing.

Scotland's string-pulling No10 has made a swift recovery and been named in Gregor Townsend's starting XV for Saturday's Calcutta Cup clash at Twickenham. A sickening head collision with winger Darcy Graham left fans fearing for both players' involvement, though Graham has not been risked for Week 3 of the Six Nations.

And Ashton - who scored 20 tries in 44 appearances for England - knows all too well the impact Russell can have on games after teaming up when they played for the Barbarians together in 2018. The touring team has a reputation for not skimping on rugby's social side along with the competitive - but Russell was well able to juggle both seamlessly.

"There was a few passes in the Baa Baas squad, and he's been drinking for three days," he told the Daily Record, via 10Bet. "He's still throwing these passes, and I'm like, 'Wow, there's just not many fly-halves that would have been able to hit that pass or kick.'

"Because you think he's not seen it, you think he's missed it, but then he throws it and you're like, 'Wow, how does he manage to get that away?' He does that every single week."

Bath fly-half Russell, 32, passed the standard head injury assessment (HIA) during the Week 2 defeat to Ireland but was stopped from re-joining the game after displaying signs of memory loss. And after losing both him and Graham in one fell swoop, the Murrayfield hosts struggled to stay competitive with the world's No2 team.

And while Graham may not be available, former Glasgow Warriors talisman Russell's return is a major boon for the visitors. He shoulders a particular burden as Scotland go in search of history in London, having been so crucial to Townsend's side building their recent streak of dominance over the Auld Enemy.

Ashton believes Russell is in need of a big performance, too, if he's to nail down his place as the outstanding candidate to start for the British and Irish Lions on their tour of Australia this summer. Ashton played with a number of stars who play on the edge during his career, but one former New Zealand star stuck out as the closest possible comparison.

“Oh, he's got to be like [ex-Northampton Saints fly-half] Carlos Spencer, I would have said," he added. "Yeah, the thing that struck me with Finn, especially when we played the Baa Baas. . .I wanted to think that with a fly half, I'd always see what they're seeing pretty much, but I wouldn't be able to do it. I could see it, but I wouldn't be able to do it the same. But the fact that I could see it always gave me a slight anticipation advantage.

“Either it's an over-the-top pass, or a flat pass, or a little kick, or whatever it is, I think I'd see it. Carlos is one of them that you had to see five different [outcomes]. And Finn’s the same."

Scotland have won the last four encounters with England, their longest streak of success in the fixture since the early 1970s. However, a win at Twickenham on Saturday would break Scotland's record for consecutive wins in the oldest rivalry in international rugby.