"I don't like facing them" - Finn Russell's view on Lions centres Bundee Aki and Sione Tuipulotu

One of the stand-out areas of the British & Irish Lions squad, is the imposing midfield duo of Bundee Aki and Sione Tuipulotu. The Irish-Scottish centre partnership was unleashed for the first time this past Friday, as the Lions commenced their tour with a narrow defeat to Argentina in Dublin.

The midfield axis was a stand-out strength of Andy Farrell's set-up, with both men muscling their way over the whitewash during the match. Tuipulotu crossed the try-line after a stunning strike move from the back of a line-out, albeit before a TMO review ruled the score out following a proceeding knock-on by Alex Mitchell. Aki would get a registered score on the board just a few minutes later, as he tucked the ball up his jumper and trundled over three hapless Argentine defenders.

There is no doubt that this pairing have got the making of an all-time great Lions midfield, with the duo set to only get more cohesive as a partnership the longer they spend together. The two have already been a focal point from within the Wallabies camp, as Australia head coach Joe Schmidt attempted to stir the pot by calling Aki and Tuipulotu a pair of formidable 'southern hemisphere centres', given their respective backgrounds in New Zealand and Australia.

Lions fly half Finn Russell has also had his say upon the midfielders, as he watched on from the stands of the Aviva Stadium for the opening match of the tour. Russell expressed how he does not enjoy facing off against the bruising ball carriers in Lions training sessions, or when he comes up against Aki whilst on Scotland duties.

"I don't think I'd like facing them to be honest!" Russell told the media at a recent Lions media session. "They're both brilliant players. I've played with Bundee before and I've played with Sione a lot as well obviously. It'll be interesting to see where that goes. I think they're excited for tonight and I'm expecting a lot from them. I think it'll be a fun partnership to watch.

"With the style of game we're going to play I think both of them will be having to fill in jumping in and out of a ball playing and ball carriers at different times. I think that's one of the best things about playing for the Lions. Everyone's in that sort of situation or position where you can play and be ball players. You can fill in at different positions.

"Everyone's effectively got a number on their back but anyone can play anywhere to an extent. You understand the game plan and the system that well that anyone can fill in. So I think it should be good fun watching them."

Russell is by no means a stranger to the Lions set-up, having toured and played alongside Aki upon the 2021 trip to South Africa. Prior to the Covid-era campaign, the Flying Scotsman was a late call-up to the 2017 tour of New Zealand, as part of the 'Geography Six'. This group of players who were called in from their respective Summer Tours to bolster the Lions effort in the non-test matches, in what was a controversial move by Warren Gatland.

"It was still amazing because it was my first time being called up to the Lions." Russell explained, as he recalled his 2017 call-up. "We weren't there for the whole tour, obviously, but I think to have gone there and played in the first one was really cool for me. And then in 2021 it was special going the whole time, even though it was Covid, obviously we couldn't have family and friends or fans at the game, but it was still amazing in probably a different way.

"In terms of the boys, we probably got to know each other a little bit better because it was just us in the hotel and whatnot, but I think both experiences are different but in good ways. So I'm looking forward to what this one's going to be like."

Whilst Russell had a delayed arrival at the Lions camp due to his club commitments with Bath, the fly half is excited to once again be apart of the tour from their first day in Australia. Russell landed with the squad this past Sunday in Perth, following a tune-up training camp in Dublin ahead of the match at the Aviva.

Russell is already making connections with his Lions' teammates from across the Home Nations, with the rivalries of the Six Nations put to one side whilst the men in red go about winning a Test series down in Australia. Russell was asked as to whether such a major Irish contingency of coaches and players puts up any 'barriers' within the cohesion, yet the Scot ensured that no such issues are in place within Andy Farrell's squad.

"I wouldn't say there's barriers. Players are going to have players they're more friendly with. We’ve got 12 Leinster boys who obviously know each other very well. The Scottish boys and English guys and Welsh are the same. I think you're always going to get these pockets where you're more comfortable with each other. But over the last few days it seems like everyone's mixing really well. When you get into it you become a team so quickly.

"For us coming in this week you saw the boys had relationships and that was all built from last week in Portugal [Lions training camp]. It does change so quickly and you build these relationships so quickly. Whether they're an Irish set up or an English, Scottish or whatever it is, I don't think it makes too much of a difference. We're all here with the same goal and trying to pull in the same direction."

16 players earned their first Lions Test caps in the match against Argentina, with Russell excited to see the young guns express themselves whilst wearing the iconic red jersey. The Scotsman gave a clear-cut message to the first-time tourists, as the 32-year-old prepares for his third taste of living with the Lions.

"As a collective, as a group, we've set our own standards of what we want to do on this tour and how we want to be remembered. I think all the players and everyone has deserved their spot on this tour. It's [about] going out there and being themselves. I enjoy doing that.

"We've spoken about what we want to be and who we represent. I think the main thing is just going out there and playing [like] yourself. Don't overthink it. All the work you've done in your whole career is to get to this spot, that's what you've done in your whole career to get here. So don't change anything, just go out there and be yourself."

There has been plenty of chatter about whether or not a 'Lions way of playing' exists in the modern day. The ideology behind the pride stems from the deep history of the red jersey, yet is there a recognised style of Lions rugby in attack and on the defensive foot?

"I wouldn't say there's a typical Lions way. I think that would depend on the coach." Russell said. "I think with Andy there and the coaching staff we've got here, it's hopefully going to be a free-flowing, fast style of rugby we're going to play. There's obviously a lot of structure in there but then at times if there's no structure we're happy to play unstructured rugby as well.

"So, it's getting that balance of using structure to create unstructured and then go from there. I think it's just different types of coaching. I wouldn't say there's a Lions way of playing. I think it depends on the coach, it depends on the players. It's been good fun training actually. It's been very fast but good."

Turning his attention from the touring side to the hosts nation, and Russell expects quite the fight from Australia over the coming eight weeks. The Lions kick off their campaign on Australian soil in Perth this Saturday, with a battle against the Western Force giving Farrell's men a taste of what to expect.

The terms of this tour dictate that the Wallabies must release their Test players to to their Super Rugby teams, when the Lions roll into their respective cities. This means that competitive match-ups are expected across the entire tour, with walkovers unlikely out in Australia.

Russell's last experience of taking on Australia was during the 2024 Autumn Nations Series, as Scotland handed the Wallabies a 27-13 defeat at Murrayfield. Russell even bagged himself a try in the win up in the Scottish capital, yet the halfback expects a tougher Test throughout the upcoming series, given the magnitude of this once in a career occasion for the Wallabies.

"I think Australia are a great team and the last few years they've probably not been talked about as a great team as they actually are. Once every 12 years the Lions go to Australia. So, for them it's a massive, massive occasion. They've got a few games coming up just now before the tests start. So, they'll be a brilliant team. They'll be a lot better than the Australian teams that I've potentially faced in the past going
back over the years. They're a much better team than what the public might think they are."

"They'll be a lot of the same players, but they'll be a very different team. Like I said, it's once every 12 years that the Lions go to Australia, so what that brings out in, well, all of Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and all the nations, that's something you almost can't buy.

"You can't train that. So, what they're going to have in terms of the determination, the goal and everything that's been built up to this series, it's something that when you play them in November or a Summer it's not quite the same. It's not like this."