Finn Russell and Ben Spencer are living proof that opposites attract. One of the most beautiful relationships in the Gallagher Premiership began with Russell snaring Spencer in a headlock during a Bath team social and demanding, “Just give me the ball”. Out of such touching moments has grown a half-back partnership to send all rugby romantics aflutter.
Spencer, the controlling hand at scrum half reared the Saracens way, and Russell, the free spirit at fly half, have guided Bath back into the Premiership final, where they will face Leicester Tigers with a shot at securing an unprecedented trophy treble.
Bath’s success has been down to more than just those two. Their pack is formidable, their depth is the envy of the league and they had the tightest defence in the Premiership. But Bath also scored more tries and more points than any other team. Spencer and Russell are the architects of that.
“It’s brilliant,” Spencer said. “The freedom he gives, not just me, but the freedom he gives the other boys in the squad to go out there and play what’s in front of them and express themselves, I think genuinely is second to none. He can make things happen in a heartbeat.
“He’s not just a highlights reel player. He brings organisation. He puts his head in the spokes when he needs to. He’s a real leader in his team. I think we dovetail really well.”
In an unexpected way, Bath have Saracens to thank for this partnership blossoming at the Recreation Ground. Spencer left the London club when they were demoted over salary cap breaches and he has grown at Bath into a captain and an outstanding player. But Russell?
When his time at Racing 92 was coming to an end, he was looking for a club where he could win some trophies. Russell had won the PRO12 with Glasgow Warriors but lost the Champions Cup final with Racing. Bath were not the obvious location.
Yes, the money was good. But they had underachieved for almost three decades. A year earlier, at the end of the 2021-22 season, Bath had finished bottom of the Premiership table, fortunate to escape relegation. Johann van Graan was a year into his tenure. So why Bath?
“I was playing Call of Duty on PlayStation with a few boys from Saracens,” Russell said. “Duncan Taylor, Sean Maitland and Richard Barrington. They were chatting about Bath and the players who were coming here the year before I joined and how they almost went under the radar. I don’t know why I was playing PlayStation with a group of Saracens boys.
Dunn and the rest of the Bath pack have been formidable this season
DAVID ROGERS/GETTY IMAGES
“Then I met Johann for the first time and I really liked the conversations that we had and where the club was trying to get to. It was good chatting with Cam Redpath and Josh Bayliss up in Scotland about how they were close to winning games but just couldn’t get it over the line.
“In the past couple of years we’ve managed to win these games that maybe we hadn’t been [winning] before. It was an exciting club that were signing the right guys, the right coaches, the right staff. That’s the main reason I came.
“You’re never guaranteed to get to the finals. Johann and I spoke about, ‘It’s going to be tough but there is definitely an exciting chance to go out and win things.’ ”
Both men offer more than their stereotype. Spencer is a master at putting Bath in the right position but he has a beautiful balance to his game, winning territory with the boot but also ranking third among Premiership scrum halves when it comes to tries and assists. “Playing with Finn has taken my game to another level, which I needed,” Spencer said.
Russell has evolved his game since joining the Premiership, curbing the looser, riskier elements. He is the leading fly half in the league when it comes to creating breaks, assisting tries and turning opponents about heel, executing five 50:22 kicks during the season. No other fly half managed more than one.
“The relationship we’ve got on the pitch is the same off the pitch,” Russell said.
“I’d just come back from the World Cup and we were at a team social in Bath. I remember having Spenny in a headlock and biting his ear and going, ‘What was I saying? Just give me the ball. Just give me the ball.’
“And that was it. That was the start of it. A few beers on my behalf and having Spenny in a headlock and now we’re here.
“A lot of folks said that me and Spenny were different and maybe we are. But we have gelled and we’ve probably rubbed off on each other in different ways, which has been really good for us both.
Russell, right, says Bath are now winning games that they would probably have lost a few years ago
MICHAEL STEELE/GETTY IMAGES
“It’s awesome playing with Spenny. I can play with the freedom and help the boys outside because what of Spenny can do. As a No10, it’s brilliant to have a nine that you can trust so much and rely on.
“The mentality is slightly different here. When I played in France, they almost wanted us to play loose rugby. They wanted it to be expansive and for us to just play off the cuff, which I didn’t mind.
“Coming here I had to adapt to the style. When you play the rugby that we’re playing here, it looks like it can be a bit wild and a bit loose, but there’s structure in there.
“With the players we have got, that allows us to play direct and kick the ball and put teams under pressure through the aerial game, or we can play wide if we need to.
“It’s just finding that balance. I’ve learnt a lot over here in terms of that.
“With Lee Blackett as attack coach, we are looking to play, run and attack but also take teams to the set piece if we need to. Use the aerial battle as a strength because of the wingers we have got [Will Muir and Joe Cokanasiga] and not see it as a negative that we are having to kick the ball away because something hasn’t worked.
“In the semi-final against against Bristol, it was a very quick, fast first half, which was fine. But then, in the second half, we went back to structure.”
In the first 20 minutes, Bath scored four tries and 28 consecutive points to win the game and book a return to Twickenham. Spencer and Russell were excellent in last year’s final, driving Bath to the brink of victory over Northampton Saints after Beno Obano had been sent off.
“I came here to win things,” Russell said. “We’re up against two of the best half-backs in the league in Handrè Pollard, who has won World Cups, and Jack van Poortvliet is brilliant as well. It’s going to be about control again and our ability to adapt on the hoof through the game.
“For me and Spenny, that will mean just chatting throughout the game and trying to figure out what we need to do and how we can drive the team into the right spots and get the win.
“Having a nine I can trust has been really important. Spenny’s been in more finals than I have and won a lot more than I have.”
Bath v Leicester Tigers
Gallagher Premiership final
Saturday, 3pm
Live on TNT Sports and ITV