BEN Spencer has partnered two of the leading outsidehalves of their generation, Owen Farrell and Finn Russell, and although they have contrasting styles and temperaments, he believes they are very similar.
Spencer spent nine years at Saracens from 2011, enjoying multiple success in the Premiership and Champions Cup, before the scrum-half moved to Bath in 2020 where trophies have been harder to lay claim to.
Farrell was his fly-half during his time with Sarries and since joining Bath he has operated, briefly, with Danny Cipriani before the arrival of Scotland’s No.10 Russell following his side’s exit from the World Cup.
“I have taken a lot from Finn in terms of his attitude,” said the 31-yearold Spencer, who has won two England caps, the last in the 2019 World Cup final when he finished the match with Farrell at 10. “He is a very relaxed guy but it is not the case that he is blasé or does not care. It comes from a place where it is about getting better and winning.
“He backs his skill set and knows he can do things others cannot. His belief is that everything with be all right at the end of the day and when he makes a mistake, he invariably makes up for it with a worldie.
“He has taken a load off my shoulders. Finn has given a clear direction of where we want to go in attack and there has been a collective buy-in. The result has been that we have scored a lot more tries than in previous seasons.
“Lee Blackett (attack coach) has added detail and clarity and we are at a place now where we have the belief that was lacked before. We felt we could get a result at Saracens and were close at Sale.
“We are desperate to achieve things with this club whether this year or next and come out with a trophy. We are enjoying our rugby and confidence is high.”
Russell started the match against Saracens by making a costly mistake but within minutes set Bath on their way with a typically slick off-load to send Tom de Glanville away for a try.
Farrell tends to do the simple things well rather than dabble in the outrageous, although in recent seasons with Saracens he has come to revel in unstructured play.
“Finn is the most chilled out of players,” said Spencer. “Everyone feels comfortable around him. There are loads of similarities with Owen: they are both competitors who want to win and secure trophies.
“I did not know much about Finn before he arrived at Bath. I’d seen his highlights reel, but I had not had any contact with him. We have built up a relationship through normal day-to-day stuff and he fitted in very quickly.
“It is testament to the character he is and now we are not only scoring more tries but doing so from distance. Last season we were strong in the set-pieces and
