Russell: I’ve come here to win titles
While Henry Arundell has chosen to stay at Racing 92 and turn down a move to Bath, Finn Russell is in no mind that he made the right decision in swapping the Parisian high life for more genteel Somerset surrounds.
Bath are a side transformed since the Scottish playmaker returned from the World Cup to weave his magic on the Premiership.
Johann van Graan's side are second to Sale Sharks only on points difference in the Premiership table and have a first Champions Cup win under their belts in nearly four years.
Russell hasn't been the only contributory factor but his confident presence on the pitch seems to have brought the best out of those around him; it is no coincidence that captain and scrum-half Ben Spencer and Ollie Lawrence won back-to-back Premiership Player of the Month awards before the European campaign began with victory against Ulster.
As the father of a one-year-old daughter, it seems moving to Bath has come at just the right time for Russell and the two parties – player and club – appear to be the perfect fit.
However, the 31-year-old admits that there were some initial misgivings about the style of rugby that he might be asked to play under a South African coach known for a more conservative outlook than his.
“He (van Graan) was at Munster before who kicked the ball a lot, so I was a bit sceptical about how it would be with me coming here,” Russell admitted.
“I just asked is that the way you want to play with Bath because if that is the way then I am probably not best suited to that style of rugby.
“He just said that he is always open to ideas and bringing in Lee Blackett shows the way he is looking to play with him being such a good attack coach.
“I think Johann is very easy to chat to. He is open, he is honest. There was no awkward conversations with him.
“I felt I could ask that question straight away and see what the answer was. That was a question mark before I met Johann and after that it wasn't a question mark any more.
“It was great for me to just know what he is thinking and how he is as a coach and a person. We seemed to be both on the same page right from the offset.
“Although at the time I wasn't sure if I wanted to leave Paris or not, I think I have made the right decision by coming here and getting something fresh and something new at this stage of my career.”
Russell is firmly of the belief that entertaining rugby can be winning rugby and he hopes to add to the PRO12 title he won with Glasgow in 2015 during his stay at Bath by playing the game the only way he knows how.
Bath's wait for major silverware has been even longer than his, and Russell has already got an understanding of how much the fans crave success.
“For me, the stage I'm at, I've only won one title in my career [Glasgow, Pro12, 2015]. I want more, everyone does,” he said.
“Bath has a lot of history behind it, and as a team, and Bruce Craig the owner especially wants to win titles again here.
“Johann has done a great job with recruiting the players he has to go ahead and win these titles. That is one the reasons I came here, to try to win these titles.
“I think as players it would mean a lot to us but also for the whole town, it would mean so much for everyone.”
Living “literally 50 metres away” from Scotland team-mate, Cam Redpath, has helped the 75-cap international settle, as has home-grown hero Tom Dunn, the go-to man for local knowledge.
“I'd say Tom Dunn is the guy if I had any questions, I'd go to him,” Russell confirmed.
“I changed my garage into a living room-play room, and asked him where I could get rid of the garage door, and he said he'd take it and use it for something! I was quite happy with that!
“I think he has a lot of connections. He put me in contact with a gardener, so he has been helpful since I've been down here.”
With his Aston Martin parked up in Scotland, Russell doesn't have the same need for secure parking, and the garage conversion is another sign that life is now very different to when he left Scotland for Paris five years ago.
Russell's carefree days off the pitch may be largely over given his new-found domestic responsibilities, but intrinsically, his playing philosophy, to back himself, remains the same.
“I'd say I'm very confident in my vision and I back myself to execute whatever I'm trying – well most times, that is! But if it doesn't come off, that's probably more so on me not executing the individual skill that I've tried.
“It could be something simple or it could something harder or riskier, but that's me. I wouldn't change that – I'm still trying things and I'm still trying to create chances, and I think as more appear, the boys are starting to understand what I am trying to do and they are looking for (those chances) too.”
The chemistry is working so far and there is no reason to think that with
Russell orchestrating matters, Bath can't convert their early-season promise into something more tangible.
If they do go on to win something, Russell would at least celebrate like a local.
“I quite like cider. I had a cloudy one the other day which was nice. I've only really had cider since I've been down here, there's not much of it back home!”
