Finn Russell exclusive: Scotland fly-half says Bath Rugby coach Johann van Graan 'sold' him move to England

Finn Russell says it was the influence of coach Johann van Graan that "sold" him his move to Bath, as he opened up to ex-Scotland team-mate and TNT Sports' Stuart Hogg on his first few weeks in the West Country.

Russell, having spent five years at Racing 92, left France behind this summer after agreeing a move to Bath, where he has assumed the fly-half role with distinction already.

The 31-year-old made his debut against Newcastle in the Gallagher Premiership on October 14 following the World Cup, and turned in a stunning performance as Bath came back to .

Van Graan , and there is clearly a burgeoning relationship between the pair, as the 75-cap Scotland stand-off explained prior to Bath's 'Derby Weekend' clash with Bristol this Friday, November 17, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

"I loved my time in France," Russell told Hogg. "Five years is a long time, especially for a sportsman.

"I actually spoke to them [Bath] before I went to Racing, six years ago. But I think at that point I was too set and fixed on going to France.

"And then this time I was open to potentially coming back and playing in a different league again.

"Speaking to Johann, from getting to know him now I think he's a great coach, a really good guy and it was probably him that sold me Bath.

"I'm actually really excited about this season. It's a rugby town isn't it, so I think that's another exciting thing for me, playing in a rugby town.

"We've had a decent enough start to the season, but I think we've still got a long way to go."

Russell was the centre of attention against Gloucester in more ways than one, as - after landing a touchline conversion - he turned around to 'shush' the opposition fans.

Opening up on his reasons for doing so, he said: "In the warm-up I was kicking on the side of 'The Shed' [a section of Gloucester's ground], I was having a bit of banter with them. They were trying to put me off.

"It was just a bit of friendly banter both ways, I just kind of gave a bit back to them. I don't know why I did it to be honest, it was just one of these things, I just thought 'right, well I'm going to give it some back to you', and that's the first thing that came to my mind."

Russell is one of the world's best fly-halves and interprets the game in a unique way that has seen him thrill fans throughout his career.

Asked by Hogg what makes him tick, Russell responded: "It's a tough question.

"There are so many things that make players tick, it's different for everyone.

"I love playing, and I probably do actually love that competitive side of the match, trying to win the games obviously, and that probably brings the best out of me I think.

"In terms of me having a good game at the weekend, it's kind of just being relaxed, being chilled out, knowing I've done all the work that week building up to it.

He added: "You see more personalities in the game, which is great to see I think because every player - boys, girls - is able to actually just show their personality rather than having to act really seriously when you're not like that.

"So maybe you don't actually get the best out of them if they're trying to act how they think they should act, rather than just being themselves."

It's 'Derby Weekend' in the Gallagher Premiership between November 17-19, with Russell - who said with Bath that "every second week feels like a derby" - and his men hosting Bristol at The Rec.

You can watch the following matches across the weekend live on TNT Sports and discovery+,:

The complete list of Premiership games live on TNT Sports is available to see here.

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