JOHANN van Graan has every faith that Finn Russell can transfer his goal-kicking form for Scotland to Bath if needed in clutch moments.
After the first three rounds of the Six Nations, Russell, 31, is the only frontline kicker in the competition not to miss a single shot at goal, nailing all 15, putting him in the running to become the first-ever Scot to be Six Nations’ top points scorer.
With Bath, though, it has been a different story. While Russell’s time-onthe-ball and passing skills and deft kicks in play have helped to transform Bath’s attacking game and earn him the nickname ‘Messi’, the million-pound man has been hit and miss from the kicking tee.
Across the Premiership and Champions Cup, Russell has scored 90 points but has also left 46 out there with 21 missed kicks. Overall his goal-kicking success rate for the season is just 64 per cent, with conversions particularly problematic (18 out of 32).
Kicking conditions at The Rec have been difficult at times, certainly at the start of the season before artificial fibres were woven into the pitch to make the surface firmer. But van Graan knows an improvement is needed if Bath make it through to the business end of the season.
“We’ve got quite a few world-class kickers here at the club. Last season Ben Spencer was close to being the best goal-kicker in Europe with his percentage, and Finn has kicked beautifully for Scotland and Racing,” van Graan said. “To be fair to the two of them, we have played in some horrendous conditions and kicking at The Rec can be pretty tricky.
“As a group we have acknowledged that our goal-kicking isn’t currently up to scratch and if you wa
