Scotland half-back tête-à-tête

Scotland and British & Irish Lions half-backs Greig Laidlaw and Finn Russell are set to go head-to-head tomorrow in the French Top 14 as Racing 92 host Clermont at the Paris La Défense Arena.

Head Coach Gregor Townsend will be in the stands in Paris to watch two players who have been critical components of national team successes in recent years.

The pair have featured together in 29 Scotland Tests, the most recent of which being Scotland’s closing Six Nations win over Italy (29-27), while they also combined successfully for the Barbarians in victory over England at Twickenham in May (63-45).

This will, however, be only the second time they have faced each other on the competitive field of play.

Russell – operating from inside-centre – was on the winning side on that derby day in April 2014, for the rescheduled 1872 Cup second leg at Scotstoun, as Glasgow defeated Edinburgh 37-34.

Russell has wasted no time in showcasing his talents since arriving at Racing 92nin the summer, scoring 20 points on his competitive debut in the 25-9 defeat of Toulon at the Stade Mayol.

The Parisian hosts will be hoping for another virtuoso performance from their new 10 but will face a stern assessment from a Clermont side fresh from a 10-try, 67-23 blitz of Agen.