Edinburgh head coach Richard Cockerill says he would have dealt with the Finn Russell situation in "exactly the same" way Gregor Townsend has.

Russell has been out of the Scotland reckoning since leaving the team after a breach of team protocol prior to the opening Six Nations defeat by Ireland.

Cockerill insists he is not taking sides but says any coach has the right to decide the standards adhered to.

"He has no choice - the players can't set the rules," he said.

"He has to decide how environments are run and the culture of the team. You have input from players but the coach decides because it's his team.

"Everybody has to conform in some way, shape or form and you work together to get on with your job."

Cockerill believes Racing 92 fly-half Russell, 27, could end up regretting his decision to speak to a newspaper about the matter and therefore extending his exile from the national team.

"After the '99 World Cup I wrote a book and criticised Sir Clive Woodward," recalled Englishman Cockerill.

"He asked me to apologise, I said no and never got picked again. He then won the World Cup and I watched it on television.

"There are some things you regret in life, hopefully common sense will prevail and everyone will get together."

For Edinburgh, next up is a tough test as they travel to face Scarlets, the side hot on their trails at the top of Pro14 Conference B, and Cockerill is optimistic about their chances in turbulent conditions.

"We've had a little bit of help from Gregor in releasing guys," he said.

"WP Nel, Gilchrist, Nick Haining, Luke Crosbie and Matt Scott are all back to play for us and that gives us a real boost. Scarlets are going to be missing a lot of guys, the weather is going to be horrific.

"It's going to be tight, a tough game, and we just have to make sure we come out the right side of it. We've played ten games so being top is irrelevant. What matters is where we are after round 21."