Mike Tindall Q&A: It wasn't Finn Russell's best Six Nations

Telegraph

17-03-2025

To mark the end of the 2025 Six Nations, Mike Tindall sat down to answer Telegraph readers' questions. This was the last of our five Q&A sessions with Tindall and James Haskell, the hosts of The Good, The Bad & The Rugby podcast.
In previous interviews, James Haskell explained why Jerusalem should not be the national anthem and why the scrum is important in rugby, if only 'for the fat lads'. Mike Tindall previously took questions on Steve Borthwick's need to turn close defeats into victories (which he went on to achieve) and England's frustrating kicking game.
'It wasn't Finn Russell's best Six Nations'
Alex Bainbridge asked: Has Finn Russell lost the starting 10 jersey for the Lions due to how many big mistakes he makes? Fin Smith would be a better option.
This is the coaches' prerogative now, and they are not just going to be watching internationals. They will be watching what is going on at Bath. As a whole, I would say Scotland haven't performed, but Russell will have a lot of credit in the bank compared to Fin Smith. That is not to say that many would argue if Fin Smith or even Sam Prendergast came in, because I do think there are question marks there and it will be down to how the coaches want to play the game. Finn has made a few key errors and it hasn't been his best Six Nations, but he will carry that credit in the bank. Bath are top of the Premiership and he will still be in the running, as much as I agree that it is a dilemma for Andy Farrell.
'England will be kicking themselves'
James Gorick asked: Should England be disappointed that they didn't beat Ireland and win the Six Nations?
I think so, when you think about where they were after 50 minutes in Dublin. That's a lesson for them. I've said on our podcast that I don't think Ireland have played as well as people think they have. James Lowe was just unbelievable for them in the first couple of games and Hugo Keenan and Dan Sheehan have impressed at points.
I do think England will be kicking themselves, but it is still their best Six Nations performance since winning it in 2020 and it is sometimes good to go away with frustration, so you can use that feeling to get better. I just hope that we've seen the brand of rugby that England want to play in the last two games and they bring that energy and positivity into the bigger games, getting the balance between the controlling side and intent to play when they're under pressure. That is the next question.
'Henry Pollock has been on my radar for years'
James Gerada asked: What are your thoughts on Northampton Saints taking over England's back line? How good is Henry Pollock?
Henry Pollock, as Jiffy [Jonathan Davies] said at the weekend, was 'the Pollocks'. 'Golden Pollocks'; 'Top Pollocks'; you can play around with his name a fair bit. It was refreshing to see someone come on and enjoy themselves that much. He's been on my radar ever since that interview he gave after a game for England Under-18, which contained some colourful language. That's the next generation and I'm happy to see it.
On the backline, as we've seen with Leinster and Ireland, it can make sense to have so many people who are in-tune with one another. But, then again, that made it more weird that Ollie Sleightholme was dropped. And everything still worked, even when Tommy Freeman went down with only George Ford on the bench. It might have been interesting had another couple of calls gone the other way, but England have had enough calls go the wrong way recently that they were due them.
'England have options in the centres'
Mike Bell asked: Tommy Freeman looks good at 13. Who should partner him in the centre for England for the 2027 World Cup. Zack Wimbush? Feels like we have been missing a big centre pairing since 2003.
I do a Mystic Mike act, but this is pushing the boundaries! It's difficult to predict that. I don't think you'd leave out a fit Ollie Lawrence, because he has been one of England's stand-out players this year and he's young enough to make 2027. You just don't know what will change in that time. It might be that someone comes into the reckoning that we don't know about yet. What I will say is that for the first time in a long time, England were so dominant that it was easier for their centres to get into the game. We haven't seen that for a while.
Tommy Freeman fits into that role because he just wants to get into the game. He has genuine pace, power and is a good handler of the ball. There are question marks around where Marcus Smith would fit in. Is there a spot for him at 12? Does he become a super-sub? He's too good a player just for that, I feel. He still beats more defenders than anyone else in that England backline, wherever he plays. When you have that sort of attacking threat, maybe you just have to find a position that he can stick to.
What we do know is that Henry Slade is 32 this week and he hasn't had opportunities like in the game at the weekend, where he gets to enjoy himself. Is that the fault of the structure? I would say they had more attacking intent while being dominant in the last two games than they had had for a long time. There is a lot of water to flow under the bridge yet. What I'm happy about is that there are options – Freeman, Slade, Lawrence and Fraser Dingwall, without going to people like Will Butt, who has had a great season for Bath.
'I quite like the idea of 15 on the bench'
Steve Davis asked: How about a rule that says the bench is for injury replacement (and HIA and blood bin) but that any player substituted for injury cannot return to the field of play and must be stood down for the next two matches.
This is so hard. I would prefer it the other way. I would never want to be in a place where you can't keep it as 15 v 15 on the field because of genuine injuries. At the moment, I have no issue with having rolling subs after extra injuries. I quite like the idea of having 15 on the bench but you are limited by substitutions. But then I wouldn't want a cap of, say, four replacements to stop it being 15 v 15. The downside is that you would get people faking injury… if someone started that, they should get the worst ban possible.
We've spent enough time messing about with a 20-minute red card because it has become so easy to be sent off. I agree there can be something done around subs and how many you can make, but I also like the tactical side of it. If you're going to reduce the subs, should there be more choice according to what is going on in the game and everything else?
'Ted Hill fits the mould used by England'
Billington Humpledink asked: What does Ted Hill have to do to get a consistent run in the team? He's pulling up trees in the Premiership and has done well in his cameos so there's clearly something missing. Is he a bad trainer?
I hear so many good things about Ted Hill. Jonny May has been on the pod talking about his speed. I saw him play for Bath against Gloucester at second row and go very well. What coaches see, what they want and the opinions they form is what makes debate. Seeing someone that big, that fast and with the skills of a back is appealing, especially with someone like Ben Earl playing 35 minutes as a centre. I think Ted fits into that mould. It's tough for him. All he can do is keep his head down, keep playing well and talking to Steve Borthwick, so he can take the opportunity that comes his way.
'Wales need to export more players'
Ian Davies asked: Even as a proud Englishman, I feel almost sad about the Wales-England result. I was a young man in the 60s and 70s when the question was not whether England might win against Wales, but what the level of our defeat was going to be. I really hope Wales can find the answer.
Mike Mahoney asked: Welsh rugby is clearly broken. How can it be fixed?
It's a hard position for Wales to be in. They're bandying around the idea of losing a region, but it feels like they have lost the connection with places like Swansea, Neath, Caerphilly, Pontypridd and Pontypool; places that I went down to on a Wednesday night back in the day to get my head kicked in. They've lost players within that.
I believe they need to look into having more players move to other nations. They didn't perform against England, but Gareth Anscombe, Jarrod Evans and Max Llewellyn have given them more. Why not reduce their wage bill a bit by letting some of the biggest players go? They'll be playing a better standard in France, and Wales won't be fishing in a smaller pool. Then potentially regions will have more freedom to bring in outside resource, like Cardiff did with Jonah Lomu and the Ospreys did with Justin Marshall years ago. Those great players bring a change of mindset. Otherwise, you are never thinking outside the box.
But they have no money. They need to somehow get the Swansea-Neath rivalries going so that the best players get sucked up to regional level. You've got to reignite the passion in Welsh rugby. They had lost 16 on the bounce before Saturday and still had a full stadium and still had a little bit of hope. That's without really connecting with a lot of the fanbase. If you lose the existing fans, you miss out on more money and it becomes even more difficult. It's a drastic fix that is needed, and quite quickly.
'Prioritise the national coaches'
Jes Smith asked: The game needs a strong Welsh team. If you were in charge of the Welsh Union where would you prioritise spending? The national coaching team, the youth pathways or the regional sides?
It is hard, because one affects the other. Ultimately, you need a strong player pool so that they can generate competition. That says to me that you need to prioritise below the regions. I think of free resource; the recently retired players like Jon 'Foxy' Davies, Alun Wyn Jones, Ken Owens, Sam Warburton, Josh Navidi, James Hook, Steven Jones. Even Shane Williams. They've got a great back three and Shane could challenge them on their reactions to certain situations.
They've got to replace the coaching set-up, because Matt Sherratt isn't continuing, so firstly they need to get someone to coach them in a way they want to play. Historically, Wales have played with a bit of width, they've offloaded. They need to find a coach who suits that.
Let's go with coaches first, because they need them. Then they need to find the gems in the lower player pool and identifying talent. And then it's making that level below the regions more competitive so the best players rise to the top.
'Scotland's timing is unlucky'
Martin McPhie asked: How do Scotland break into the top tier of rugby nations? Great team to watch but same so-so results. Can we actually do it with our player base?
They really went after France at the weekend. Blair Kinghorn was fantastic and Darcy Graham combined really well with Finn Russell for a try. We know they can have one-off games and it is about the fifth year we have been talking about their consistency. I feel like it's a very tough situation for them. They've been playing against the best Ireland team in a generation and the best France team of a generation, and it is only France's second title under Fabien Galthié and the first since 2022.
It's just awkward timing for Scotland. Would moving on from Gregor Townsend work? We can't say. Is it the right time, with a World Cup two and a half years away? Maybe. That is one for the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU). What I will say is that Gregor has them playing a brand of rugby that they all understand. They know where their strengths are and go to them. Sometimes it pays off and sometimes it doesn't. I agree that they have to find a way to win when it isn't as smooth as they want.
'Roebuck brough pace and physicality'
Lester Wilson asked: England backs looked better against Wales but How do we rebalance the backs to bring in real pace which we need to compete at the top level?
I felt like there was a lot of change for England ahead of a game where they had to go and score a lot of points. Tom Roebuck brought pace and physicality on his first full cap. That was impressive. Ollie Sleightholme will have been disappointed, and yes you have to settle into something that works, but if you can blood people and have several options, it's perfect. Everyone who played at the weekend has shown they can play at that level. Now it's about form and tactics.