After waiting game, the Price is right for Scotland
AFTER kicking his heels in frustration on the Scotland bench for the last two games in-a-row, Ali Price finally came on for the last six minutes against Georgia and really made his presence felt on his international debut.
With the matches against Australia and Argentina going to the wire, he did not get his chance to come on due to the importance of keeping captain Greig Laidlaw on the field until the end.
Although the win over Georgia was in the bag by half-time, Price was still made to wait for his international debut.
However, he made an impact in the short time he was on the park.
Showing real initiative, he took a quick tap penalty from within his own 22 two minutes after coming on. He then took off on a run into the Georgian half, outpacing three defenders before passing to Rory Hughes who fed Stuart Hogg for the last of Scotland’s six tries.
The 23-year-old now has the tough task of trying to dislodge Warriors scrum-half Laidlaw from the Scotland team, or at the very least becoming his permanent understudy.
‘Obviously things have been a bit frustrating up until today, but the whole month being involved with Scotland for the first time has been a brilliant experience for me,’ said Price.
‘I had to bide my time against Australia and Argentina but I can understand totally why Greig was kept on for
the full 80 minutes in both games.
‘I was ready and desperate to get on against Georgia and the guys built up a good lead in the first half which helped, so when it got near the end I got my chance.’
Price said he was told by head coach Vern Cotter to ‘express himself’ when he got on, which is why he decided to take a tap penalty to try to spark an attack from deep inside his own half.
‘I pride myself on the speed of my game and with 70 odd minutes on the clock and the opposition tiring, I decided to try to give it a crack and it worked out well,’ he said.
‘I came on there with lots of confidence as I knew our gameplan and to be involved in one of the tries was special.’
Price admitted he is learning from Laidlaw.
‘Greig is a brilliant communicator and leads the team really well,’ said the No 9. ‘He talks the most out of anybody and also has the most knowledge and is the driving force behind the whole squad.
‘It has been incredible to work and to learn from someone who plays the same position as me who also captains the team and drives them forward.’
Cotter praised the way Price made the most of his chance near the end.
‘Ali Price was given his opportunity and he did well,’ said the head coach. ‘Having him involved provides strength in depth and makes us scratch our heads a bit more when it comes to selecting teams.’
SCOTLAND’S women missed out on qualification for the World Cup after losing the second leg of their play-off with Spain 15-10 yesterday. The Scots lost out 25-15 on aggregate.