Finn Russell: 'I’ve not got any notion of retiring any time soon'

Russell, who was among a raft of front-line players given the summer off by Gregor Townsend, says he is in his “best shape for a long time”.

And Russell, speaking to the Press Association news agency at an event organised by TNT Sports, said talk in some quarters of his retirement is premature.

He said: “I’ll be turning 35 during the next World Cup and I’m definitely planning on making that tournament. 

“I am 32 next month and everyone is asking ‘what are you going to do after?’. But I’m thinking I’ve still got six or seven years to go.

“I’ve not got any notion of retiring any time soon, from either rugby or international rugby. I’m going to play as long as I can.

Finn Russell helped Bath to the Premiership final in his debut season (Image: PA)

“Some players might have an idea that at 34 they will call it a day and get a job, but as long as I’m still enjoying it and playing well, there’s no point in me stopping.

“You get a lot of lows in sport but the highs you get you can’t get anywhere else.

"And having young kids now, I’d love for them to be old enough to remember some of my career. So I might have to play until I’m 45 if I have another one."

Russell has been building a property portfolio in Scotland to provide financial security in retirement, though when the time comes for Russell to retire, he would like to pass on some of his skills to the next generation. 

“I just want to set everything up while I am playing so I can finish when I want to and not be forced into something,” Russell said. 

“If I was to do coaching, I would like to be a consultant coach, helping younger 10s coming through.

“I have got a slightly different mindset to a lot of players. I can make a mistake and as I’ve done it, I’ve forgotten about it pretty much.

“Trying to get that mindset across to others is something I would quite like because a lot of young players go into their shell quite quickly.”