Tuesday 19 February 2019 18:40, UK
Tommy Seymour insists losing Finn Russell will not cramp Scotland's attacking style against France on Saturday.
Gregor Townsend's team have suffered yet another major injury blow after Racing 92 fly-half Russell was ruled out of Saturday's Six Nations clash in Paris due to a head injury.
Townsend is likely to turn to the Warriors' new holder of the 10 jersey Adam Hastings or his Scotstoun colleague Peter Horne, while Worcester's Duncan Weir is another option after being called up over the weekend.
None of the above offer the creative spark Russell provides while on top of his game but Seymour insists Scotland will not have to reign in their free-flowing game plan to accommodate his replacement.
The Glasgow wing said: "We've got a style of play we want to adhere to. All the guys know that, all the guys coming in are more than capable of playing that way.
"Finn has been playing really well and it's a shame, but these guys are fully capable of executing the game-plan. We won't be changing massively the things we'll be looking to do based on one injury.
"I have full confidence that all three of our 10s can come in and play very well. They're all experienced at this level, they've all shown both at club and international level they can manage a game and manage it very well and be standout performers."
Russell's head injury is the latest set-back to hit Townsend's planning, with key men Stuart Hogg, Ryan Wilson, Huw Jones, Sam Skinner and WP Nel fresh additions to an injury list that was already 19 names long before the tournament got underway.
The Scotland faithful could be forgiven for feeling a sense of foreboding as they prepare to face Les Bleus this weekend at a venue where their side have not won for 20 years but Seymour insists there no excuses.
"It's unfortunate when anyone gets injured in a competition like this where there isn't a massive amount of time for recuperation," he said.
"It's not ideal that we've lost the guys we've lost, but we've been talking for quite a long time about the depth we've created and this is a good test for us.
"We've got some really talented individuals coming in that can play rugby and certainly can play rugby at this level. In a World Cup year, it's valuable experience for these guys.
"We'll use this as a tool to get better as a squad. You can't replicate the guys we've lost but we're still very confident in achieving results and performances."
