FINN RUSSELL said today that Scotland can already claim to be a genuine force as they look to ditch their tag as rugby’s nearly men.

Scotland head to Rome for their final Six Nations match on Saturday with little else than pride to play for, having seen their title hopes wiped out in Dublin.

Gregor Townsend admitted last weekend’s 28-8 defeat to Ireland highlighted the strides his side still have to make after failing to match the ruthlessness of Joe Schmidt’s grand slam-chasers.

It was yet another disappointment on the road for a team who have not won a Championship clash away from home for two years.

But Glasgow playmaker Russell believes that monkey will be swept from Scotland’s back soon having watched their rapid progress under Townsend.

November’s 53-24 win over Australia was the Scots’ biggest ever triumph over one of the Southern Hemisphere’s big three, while the Auld Enemy were slain for the first time in a decade just last month.

Now by snubbing out the Azzurri in the Eternal City, Scotland will record three wins out of five for the second year running, a feat last achieved back in 1996.

For Russell, that will provide proof his team should no longer be written off as tournament also-rans.

“In my first Six Nations I don’t think we won a game and that was four years ago,” said the 25-year-old, who joins Racing 92 this summer. “We are building.

“The ‘nearly men’ tag isn’t the kind of name we want to have and we are definitely working to change that.”