“It is quite scary... I tried to go out there and show I was confident even if I wasn’t”
Duncan Smith
ALI PRICE on how he went from only seven minutes of Test rugby to making the Scotland No 9 jersey his own.
● Ali Price has made the Scotland No 9 jersey his own over the past year, but the Glasgow Warrior admits his whirlwind rise has been ‘quite scary’ Scrum-half Ali Price reflected yesterday on a whirlwind 12 months which have seen him take an iron grip on the Scotland No 9 jersey.
This time last year the 24-year-old had just seven minutes of Test rugby under his belt after he made his debut off the bench in the win over Georgia in Kilmarnock.
The Six Nations opener at the start of the year, when Scotland defeated Ireland at home, is the only international match he has missed this year after taking the opportunity presented by Greig Laidlaw’s injury in the second match away to France.
The Scotland captain’s selection for the Lions saw Price continue through the Asia-pacific tour and has finished off the year as a star performer in the autumn Test series. So much so that Laidlaw, who suffered another ankle injury to keep him out in November, faces a huge challenge to wrest back the jersey for next year’s Six Nations.
“It is quite scary at how quick it all happened,” said Price. “I tried to take it in my stride and make it look natural even when it wasn’t and go out there and show that I was confident even if I wasn’t. It has gone from being just in the squad in Glasgow to where I am now.”
Price signed a two-year contract extension last week and, despite his stock rising rapidly over the past few months, said it was an easy decision.
“I wanted to stay. There was a little bit of interest, but it was the club I wanted to be at and I am happy to stay another two years.
“There are lots of things. The supporters, I love the city, the coaching staff. Dave [Rennie] is brilliant, Jason O’halloran, Mike Blair. The fact that I’m still in Scotland. I aspire to continue to develop with the national team as well. That’s a big goal of mine. There’s loads of reasons as to why I wanted to stay.
“There was a bit of interest [from elsewhere], but Glasgow knew I wanted to stay.”
After relishing the past month, with the win over Samoa, near miss against the All Blacks and thrilling 53-24 rout of Australia, Price is back in the Warriors gear this week and looking forward to a return to European Champions Cup action as Glasgow look to resurrect their dim quarter-final hopes against former Scotland coach Vern Cotter’s French leaders Montpellier Herault this Friday at Scotstoun.
It was on this stage that Price proved himself a man for the big occasions with some electric displays, notably against Racing 92, last season.
Despite a perfect record in the Pro14, the European campaign has got off to a poor start with losses away to Exeter and at home to Leinster. Glasgow know that they probably need a maximum return from the last four games in Pool 3 but he is sure that the large contingent of Scotland players returning to Scotstoun will provide a boost that sees the Warriors give it their best shot.
“There are a lot of boys coming back that have had a good month away and they’re confident,” said Price. “The team’s been going well the last three games in the league, we’ve been scoring 40 odd points, we’ve got tries in us.
“Especially against a team like Montpellier, they’ve got a lot of big men so if I was them I’d be thinking they [Glasgow] are going to try to run us off our feet here.
“We’re an agile quick side and I think that’s a massive strength of ours, especially against a team of bigger men, so I definitely think it’s do-able.”
Cotter, pictured left, gave Price the first of his 11 caps in that Georgia game but the scrum-half isn’t too concerned that the Kiwi’s inside knowledge could hurt over the course of the upcoming double header.
“Yes and no,” said Price when asked if there was any second guessing on how Cotter might approach the games.
“Obviously we’ve got [Cotter’s former Scotland assistants] Jase O’halloran and Jon Humphreys with us and they’ll obviously have their ideas as to how they think Vern’s going to approach it.
“It might be a case of trying to double bluff each other and all the rest of it. So I think it’ll be quite interesting. There are general traits. They’ve got big men, we know that, the big wingers, they’re generally a big pack and they play that power game. Every team in France plays the oneout runners and try to smash you. Whether he’s playing us or Pau in the Top14 I can’t see them drastically changing.
“There’ll be a few things, but then again we might have a few things, slightly different that they’ve not seen. It’ll be nice to see Vern. I’ve not seen him since the end of the Six Nations.”
Price may have committed his future to Glasgow but half-back partner Finn Russell is off to join Racing 92 next season. “We get on well but he is going on to a good place and it is a good opportunity for him and I am pleased for him,” said Price. “We will see as lot of each other. I am sure we will go and visit each other.”
The scrum-half then breaks into a broad smile and adds: “He has not died. He is just going over to France.”
‘I BELONG TO GLASGOW’ “I wanted to stay. There was a little bit of interest, but it was the club i wanted to beat an diam happy to stay another two years. There are lots of things. The supporters, I love the city, the coaching staff”
ALI PRICE