Latest news with #Russell
Daily Record
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
Stirling rugby star has eyes on Lions whitewash after history-making win
The former Stirling County kid was congratulated by his former club - among many others - after helping lead the famous select side to a Test series win Down Under in a dramatic match. Finn Russell capped off a dream summer by writing his name into rugby history on Saturday — but he insists there needs to be one final flourish before his work is done. The Bridge of Allan born star was at the centre of an all-time classic last weekend as the British and Irish Lions roared back from a 23-5 deficit at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground to defeat Australia 29-26 in the second Test match. The Wallabies had responded to their comfortable first Test defeat in Brisbane with a stirring display in front of more than 90,000 people, most notably in a first half which was capped off by a trio of scores from James Slipper, Jake Gordon and Tom Wright. The Lions looked shell-shocked in the wake of the hosts' power, but clung to give themselves a foothold with scores from Tom Curry and Huw Jones. A back-and-forth second half saw the sides trade scores, before Irish full-back Hugo Keenan was sent free in the corner to slide down as the clock was almost red - sending the Lions player and sizeable contingent Down Under wild in the stands. Once again, Russell was at the heart of the game, mixing some moments of genius with some missed kicks - but showed his composure and class to set up the Keenan score. But despite the pulsating action, the typically chilled 32-year-old reflected on his mindset during the Melbourne maelstrom. Speaking to the BBC after the match, he said: 'Surely you guys know me enough now that if I miss a conversion, it's not going to be the end of the world. 'We had a lot of momentum, we were on top of them at the end of it. We had them on the ropes when Blair broke through. 'There was no stress. The whole team was amazing. Jac Morgan's cleanout that obviously created the try, it was just sticking to what we were doing, just playing rugby. 'This year's been very special. We've won a couple of titles with Bath - and I've not won much in my career. 'It's hard to appreciate it just now, because you're still in the moment, you're still half an hour or an hour after the game, so you're still riding on that wave. 'But when I get down time, and if I get any time away from the kids, I can reflect and it'll make it even more special. It's probably one of the best nights.' Russell's achievement was congratulated both Down Under and also closer to home, with Stirling County offering some words on behalf of their former youngster. In a post on their social media, County wrote: 'A huge congratulations to local boy and ex-County player Finn Russell who was part of the British and Irish Lions side that secured the series victory in Australia yesterday! 'From playing rugby as a boy at County and local Wallace High School, to being a key player on the world stage, the whole club is beyond proud.' Sydney now awaits for the tour's curtain call, with Russell keen to add to the legacy already created and secure a Lions whitewash - an achievement which the former Wallace High pupil admits he is 'gunning for'. He continued: 'Everyone here has been gunning for this for their whole career. 'To get to the Lions is one thing and then to get a series win is another. This is my third tour and I'd not won one, so it's so special to get this, bringing four nations together to be a family for five, six weeks. 'But it's not job done yet. We need to go and try and finish it off next week. Even though we've got the series, we want to finish on a high.'
TimesLIVE
10 hours ago
- Automotive
- TimesLIVE
Antonelli paying price for ‘wrong steps' by Mercedes
Mercedes have made mistakes in developing their Formula One car and teenage Italian rookie Kimi Antonelli's struggles are a consequence of that, according to technical director James Allison. Antonelli, 18, finished third in Canada in June for his first F1 podium but has since failed to score. He has had two retirements since Montreal and 17th in a sprint race in Belgium last Saturday and 16th in Sunday's main grand prix. The Italian, who took a sprint pole in Miami and is the sport's youngest ever race leader, has retired four times in the last seven rounds and admitted in Belgium he was lacking confidence in the car and not driving as he would like. "I think he's, like the rest of us, massively fed up with a string of results that are well below what we were collectively achieving earlier in the year," Allison said in a Belgian race debrief on Tuesday. "I hope he takes some solace from the fact that we tell him, and it's demonstrably a fact, that we have taken the wrong steps with the car, making our team less competitive, and he is paying the price for that, as is George (Russell). "If the car isn't where it needs to be, it will be a struggle getting through the qualifying stages in your rookie season in F1." Allison said it was "utterly clear" to everyone the car needed to be better and Antonelli's fortunes would improve when it was. "Hopefully he's listening to us as we say those reassuring words because we absolutely know he is putting in the effort on his side of the bargain," he said. Mercedes are third overall, 28 points behind second-placed Ferrari, with one win by Russell in Canada. Russell has been on the podium five times and is fourth overall with 157 points to Antonelli's 63. Seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton, whose seat Antonelli took when the Briton moved to Ferrari, showed his support for the Italian after Saturday qualifying at Spa. "He was telling me to keep my head up, and that it is normal to have bad weekends, and to keep believing," the Italian told reporters. Hamilton told Sky Sports television he could not imagine what the rookie was going through. "He's been doing fantastic. But to be thrown in at the deep end at 18. He hadn't even had his driving licence when he started racing," he said.
Japan Times
14 hours ago
- Automotive
- Japan Times
Teenager Antonelli paying price for 'wrong steps' by Mercedes
Mercedes has made mistakes in developing its Formula 1 car and teenage Italian rookie Kimi Antonelli's struggles are a consequence of that, according to technical director James Allison. Antonelli, 18, finished third in Canada in June for his first F1 podium but has since failed to score. He has had two retirements since Montreal as well as 17th in a sprint race in Belgium last Saturday and then 16th in Sunday's main grand prix. The Italian, who took a sprint pole in Miami and is the sport's youngest ever race leader, has retired four times in the last seven rounds and admitted in Belgium he was lacking confidence in the car and not driving as he would like. "I think he's, like the rest of us, massively fed up with a string of results that are well below what we were collectively achieving earlier in the year," Allison said in a Belgian race debrief on Tuesday. "I hope he takes some solace from the fact that we tell him, and it's demonstrably a fact, that we have taken the wrong steps with the car, making our team less competitive, and that he is paying the price for that, as is George (Russell). "If the car isn't where it needs to be, then it will be a struggle getting through the qualifying stages in your rookie season in F1." Allison said it was "utterly clear" to everyone that the car needed to be better and Antonelli's fortunes would improve when it was. "Hopefully he's listening to us as we say those reassuring words because we absolutely know that he is putting in the effort on his side of that bargain," he added. Mercedes is third overall, 28 points behind second-placed Ferrari, with one win by Russell in Canada. Russell has been on the podium five times and is fourth overall with 157 points to Antonelli's 63. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, whose seat Antonelli took when the Briton moved to Ferrari, showed his support for the Italian after Saturday qualifying at Spa. "He was telling me to keep my head up, and that it's normal to have bad weekends, and to just keep believing," the Italian told reporters. Hamilton told Sky Sports television he could not imagine what the rookie was going through. "He's been doing fantastic. But to be thrown in at the deep end at 18 ... he hadn't even had his driving licence when he first started racing," he said.
New Straits Times
15 hours ago
- Automotive
- New Straits Times
Teenager Antonelli paying price for 'wrong steps' by Mercedes
LONDON: Mercedes have made mistakes in developing their Formula One car and teenage Italian rookie Kimi Antonelli's struggles are a consequence of that, according to technical director James Allison. Antonelli, 18, finished third in Canada in June for his first F1 podium but has since failed to score. He has had two retirements since Montreal as well as 17th in a sprint race in Belgium last Saturday and then 16th in Sunday's main grand prix. The Italian, who took a sprint pole in Miami and is the sport's youngest ever race leader, has retired four times in the last seven rounds and admitted in Belgium he was lacking confidence in the car and not driving as he would like. "I think he's, like the rest of us, massively fed up with a string of results that are well below what we were collectively achieving earlier in the year," Allison said in a Belgian race debrief on Tuesday. "I hope he takes some solace from the fact that we tell him, and it's demonstrably a fact, that we have taken the wrong steps with the car, making our team less competitive, and that he is paying the price for that, as is George (Russell). "If the car isn't where it needs to be, then it will be a struggle getting through the qualifying stages in your rookie season in F1." Allison said it was "utterly clear" to everyone that the car needed to be better and Antonelli's fortunes would improve when it was. "Hopefully he's listening to us as we say those reassuring words because we absolutely know that he is putting in the effort on his side of that bargain," he added. Mercedes are third overall, 28 points behind second-placed Ferrari, with one win by Russell in Canada. Russell has been on the podium five times and is fourth overall with 157 points to Antonelli's 63. Seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton, whose seat Antonelli took when the Briton moved to Ferrari, showed his support for the Italian after Saturday qualifying at Spa. "He was telling me to keep my head up, and that it's normal to have bad weekends, and to just keep believing," the Italian told reporters. Hamilton told Sky Sports television he could not imagine what the rookie was going through. "He's been doing fantastic. But to be thrown in at the deep end at 18... he hadn't even had his driving licence when he first started racing," he said. — REUTERS
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bisexual ex-NFL star Ryan Russell explains what it really means to 'go both ways'
In 2019, Ryan 'RK' Russell, an NFL veteran who played for the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, made history when he became the first NFL player to come out as bisexual in an article he wrote for ESPN. Since then, he's been a proponent of bisexual equality and is outspoken about his bisexual nature. In a world where bi erasure is a real thing, it's imperative to have people like him as a spokesperson for the community. In a recent TikTok video, Russell addressed the way people viewed bisexuality and broke down how queer culture mirrors sports.'Today, we're going to be talking about how sports culture is queer culture,' he said at the top of the video. He went on to discuss the way people talk about bisexuality, citing how he often hears the term 'goes both ways.' He said the phrase was first introduced to him in the context of sports and athletics, then compared the question to someone like LeBron James, who, 'at the height of his career, was both a devastating defender and an offensive force to be reckoned with.' He then compared that to 'playing both ends of the floor' or 'going both ways.' Later, he mentioned Travis Hunter, a rookie for the Jacksonville Jaguars who's already earned top 10 status in this year's draft. Russell highlighted Hunter's versatility in the sport, saying his value as a player was upped due to his ability to play both defense and offense. 'Unfortunately, when we talk about bisexual people, we don't see it with that same lens,' he continued. 'As if one day I could be waking up and 'playing offense,' then midplay switch to play defense and ruin my own team.' Outside of sports, he said, 'Or, I could be in a relationship with a man and decide, 'Hey, actually today, I want to be in a relationship with a woman,' which, for some people, that's not an issue.' In both sports and queer culture, he said he wanted the idea of 'going both ways' to be 'seen as a value, as added paint to the diverse canvas that is our society.' He closed the video saying, 'So the next time that you think about a bisexual person 'going both ways,' think about them as the all-star of their team.' Check out the full video below: Sports culture is queer culture. If going both ways is elite on the field, it should be celebrated off it too. Bisexuality is strength, versatility, and heart. 🏳️🌈🏈 We couldn't have said it better ourselves. This article originally appeared on Pride: Bisexual ex-NFL star Ryan Russell explains what it really means to 'go both ways'
