"I'd love to play for Scotland again because I love playing for my country. But until I see or feel the big changes that I need to get back playing my best, it's going to be very hard for me to do it."
Sunday 9 February 2020 10:42, UK
Finn Russell has not given up on playing for Scotland but admits he has a difficult relationship with head coach Gregor Townsend and insists there must be "big changes" before he will play for his country again.
The Scotland fly-half 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 the opening game against Ireland.
Scotland lost the 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.
Russell admits he and Townsend "have clashed quite a lot" and, despite playing under him for eight years, says the pair do not have a "personal relationship".
The fly-half played under Townsend with Glasgow Warriors from 2012 and then with French side Racing 92, as well as for Scotland since the 46-year-old took over as coach in June 2017.
Speaking to The Sunday Times he said: "I'm going to back myself to play for Scotland again at some point. It's definitely going to happen.
"The way it is going to happen is for me to go back to my club, play really well and be me and be happy.
"The current set-up and environment, I don't think I want to play in that, I don't think it's good for me as a person or a player. I've felt like this for more than a year.
"I'd love to play for Scotland again because I love playing for my country. But until I see or feel the big changes that I need to get back playing my best, it's going to be very hard for me to do it."
Speaking about his relationship with head coach Townsend, Russell said: "Just now, there's no relationship, we don't work at all together.
"Eight years I've had him as a coach, and I don't really know him at all. We've not got a personal relationship.
"I want the best for Scotland and so I've questioned the environment to try and make it better. We [him and Townsend] have clashed quite a lot, him saying one thing and me saying another.
"It's come to a point where I'm saying, 'you can be you and I'm going to be me. That's how this relationship is going to be. Well, it's not really a relationship."
