Townsend: "The door will be open to any player with the required level of ability - if they commit to being a trusted member of the team. It's been made clear that Finn could be a part of that future"
Monday 10 February 2020 18:42, UK
Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend says the "door is open" for Finn Russell to return to the national side, but only if he "adheres to the standards" of the current regime.
Russell has missed the first two games of the Six Nations after breaching team protocol, following an alleged late-night drinking session at the team hotel ahead of their opening game against Ireland.
In a recent interview, the Racing 92 fly-half admitted he had "clashed a lot" with Townsend during their time together with Scotland and Glasgow Warriors, and insisted there must be "big changes" before he will play for his country again.
Townsend has confirmed Russell left the national side after a "disagreement over alcohol" and says the 27-year-old must "commit to being a trusted member of the squad" before being considered for selection.
"To play for Scotland takes total commitment," said Townsend, in a statement released by Scotland on Monday.
"A lot of people make great sacrifices for the opportunity to represent 150 years of history and be among a special group of people who have had the honour of representing their nation.
"A lot of times, everything is not always how you'd like it to be. You might not agree with everything that is there, maybe because it's a different coach than the one you have at club level or a different way of preparing or playing.
"What is important is that you commit to the what has been agreed and put the best interests of the team first.
"In the Six Nations and this season we are playing teams in the top five or six in the world and the effort, planning and standards that go into preparing people physically and mentally are really important, as are the bonds that bring people together and the trust that must be created within the group.
"The door will be open to any player with the required level of ability - if they commit to being a trusted member of the team. It's been made clear that Finn could be a part of that future.
"However, he stated at the weekend that everything else has to change for him to come back, rather than accept and adhere to the standards currently being lived by the group.
"I hope this situation can be resolved but our focus is on working with the squad and building on the positive work that's gone in from the players for our first two games."
Scotland lost their Six Nations opener 19-12 to Ireland in Dublin and were beaten for the second time in Russell's absence as they crashed to a 13-6 defeat to England in Saturday's Calcutta Cup clash at Murrayfield.
Scotland travel to face Italy in Rome on February 22 before taking on France and Wales in their final two games.
