‘He’s a kid from Bath’ – Russell on unselfish pass to Ojomoh

Fly-half Finn Russell says he wanted to “give a kid from Bath the limelight” as he explained why he unselfishly passed to Max Ojomoh for the crucial second try in their 23-21 Gallagher Premiership title win over Leicester Tigers.

It helped seal Bath’s first league title since 1996 and their third trophy of the season, having won the Premiership Rugby Cup and Challenge Cup.

Scotland international Russell was influential in the victory, kicking 13 points and intercepting Handre Pollard’s pass to race towards the line before flinging the ball inside for Ojomoh to finish under the posts in the 50th minute at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.

Asked why he gave that pass rather than scoring himself, Russell told BBC Radio 5 Live: “He’s a kid from Bath that grew up watching his dad [Steve] lifting this trophy. Giving him a little bit of limelight in the final was nice.”

Ojomoh, 24, joined Bath Rugby when he was six years old before moving to Chippenham RFC aged nine. He then joined the Bath Rugby Academy at 14, with his senior debut coming in 2019.

His father Steve, 58, won 10 trophies with Bath in the 1990s, including five league titles, before joining Gloucester in 1998.

He won 12 England caps and played four times at the 1995 World Cup.

It was Russell’s first league title since the Pro 12 success with Glasgow Warriors in 2015, with the 32-year-old joining Bath in 2023.

“It’s not sunk in yet,” Russell added.

He added: “It’s special. This group, the city, the club deserves it. The work we’ve put in over the last few years, more years than I’ve been here, and then what we do on the pitch is try to represent the city as best we can.

“After last year’s defeat [against Northampton] we bounced back really quickly and we managed to get the job done.”

Russell, who will now tour Australia with the British and Irish Lions, has been a key figure in a dominant season for Bath.