When Tuipulotu was ruled out of the tournament with a pectoral muscle injury, head coach Townsend selected Russell and Rory Darge to share leadership duties.
Russell is the team’s superstar, the supremely talented fly-half who produces moment of magic.
He is a charismatic figure who plays the game with rare dexterity and flair.
His co-captain is the opposite. He is a reserved talker and far from flamboyant, but he is developing into a world-class flanker who leads with his actions.
The Glasgow man has hit 112 attacking rucks in the three games, the most of any player in the championship. He has also made 27 clean-outs and 38 tackles, the most on both counts of any Scotland player.
He is another firmly in contention for a Lions place.
There were fears heading into the tournament over Scotland’s lack of size up front.
Dylan Richardson, Scott Cummings, Josh Bayliss, Max Williamson and Andy Onyeama-Christie have all been absent through injury and Scotland just do not have the depth to replace those big men with other big men.
The brawn of Cummings, Williamson and Onyeama-Christie – who was superb last season when Scotland’s pack went toe-to-toe with Ireland – in particular has been sorely missed.
The relatively modest performances so far of the normally abrasive Matt Fagerson have not helped.
Scotland (49%) and their next opponents, Wales (48%), are the only two sides to have a gain-line success rate below 50% across the opening three rounds, while Townsend’s side also have the lowest dominant carry rate (23%).
Against England, Scotland made just one dominant tackle in 80 minutes.
While Scotland had plenty of ball, it was not the sort of super-quick variety that backs thrive on and fed into the costly lack of incision.
