Having my mate back in fold will be Finn & games
Price delight at Russ double act
ALI PRICE admits he is champing at the bit to link up again with superstar mate Finn Russell.
The pair forged a potent double act for Glasgow before taking it on to the Test stage.
And now they are poised to go back into battle together when Scotland launch their autumn series opener against Georgia at Murrayfield on Friday.
Scrum half Price said: “It will be really exciting because it has been great fun playing with him in the past.
“It has been a long time since we appeared together – too long. It was fantastic to see him come back into camp on Sunday night and it was nice to reconnect.”
Racing 92 star Russell has been in Scotland exile since his famous bust-up with boss Gregor Townsend at the start of the year.
And Price said: “I had a chat with him in the lobby and he was still getting over Racing 92’s defeat by Exeter in the European Champions Cup Final.
“He had flown straight back to Paris after the match in Bristol – and then headed for Edinburgh the next day.
“He was obviously a bit tired after a frantic couple of days. But he was excited to be back with us.
“He trained in the morning and at the end of the session I told him that the first one was under the belt. It’s great to see.”
Price is hoping that Russell won’t be tempted to change his adventurous style when he returns to the international fold.
He said: “People are very quick to pick up the negatives. But Finn assisted both of Simon Zebo’s tries at the weekend.
“And if you look at his performances in the Champions Cup campaign, he is a massive part of why Racing made it that far.
“You can look at the negatives but the number of risky things he does DO come off – and he wouldn’t say they are risks.
“He is a confident guy and he has won a lot of games for Scotland and Racing because of that.”
Meanwhile, Price insists the fact that Georgia are the opponents will have little personal meaning for him – despite the fact his Scotland debut was against them. He said: “I had been in the squad for the previous autumn games against Australia and Argentina and Greig Laidlaw had stayed on in both. I knew going into Georgia if things were going well for us then the chances were high I’d get my run.”