Newcastle Red Bulls may have found the next Finn Russell after an 18-year-old Scottish star broke a club record that had stood for 22 years.

Jake Dalziel has made a stunning start to life in English rugby. The young fly-half joined Newcastle from Melrose during the summer.

He has already caught the eye of former Scotland captain Ryan Wilson, who believes the teenager could one day replace Finn Russell.

Wilson said: "I actually went back to have a little watch, he looks the real deal."

He then made a bold claim about the youngster's future.

"I reckon your next sort of stand-in for Finn Russell, once he's done and dusted and made a few more millions out of Eddie Hearn, up steps Jake Dalziel."

Scotland youngster breaks 22-year record

Dalziel made history during Newcastle's 34-28 defeat against Exeter Chiefs.

At just 18 years and 54 days old, he became the club's youngest-ever PREM player.

The record had stood since May 2004, when former England star Mathew Tait made his debut.

Dalziel came off the bench after just 27 minutes and made an instant impact.

His clever dummy and offload helped create a try for Christian Wade, who scored a hat-trick.

The teenager has since earned his first start, wearing the number 10 shirt against Scarlets in the EPCR Challenge Cup.

Newcastle Red Bulls confirmed his selection ahead of the European clash.

Newcastle head coach Dan McFarland praised his young star.

"He's a young man with a lot to learn, as I'm sure he will admit himself, but he's got loads of ability and he really took his opportunity."

Finn Russell's Scotland successor?

Wilson believes Dalziel has the talent to become a future Scotland star.

He has even urged Gregor Townsend to consider bringing the teenager into the senior squad.

Speaking about Dalziel's international future, Wilson said: "I genuinely have no idea whether they will, but I can't see why it wouldn't be a great thing just to bring him into camp."

The former Scotland forward believes learning from Russell would help Dalziel's rise.

It would also give the youngster a taste of Test rugby ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

Rugby runs in the family

Dalziel is the son of Scotland forwards coach John Dalziel, who also worked with the British & Irish Lions in 2025.

The teenager has already made his mark for Scotland Under-20s.

He became their youngest-ever player at just 17 and has since earned rave reviews for his displays.

His rise has also caught the eye at Newcastle, where Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend works as a consultant.

However, Townsend was not involved in the talks that brought Dalziel to the club.

For now, Russell remains Scotland's first-choice fly-half.

But with Dalziel already breaking records, the race to become his long-term successor could be gathering pace.