ALI PRICE I’ve still got a screw in my foot... I might have it for the rest of my life SMILES BETTER
Price puts his World Cup misery behind him and is focused on glory at Glasgow
FOR Ali Price, the World Cup was over before it really started. A cameo off the bench in the opening game against Ireland was the grand sum of his efforts, before it ended prematurely in shattered dreams and broken bones.
Hobbling away from the Yokohama Stadium on crutches, and with his right foot in a protective moon boot, the crushing realisation that he would take no further part in the tournament was hard to take.
Yet, the fact he was able to remain even remotely upbeat in the face of such desperate disappointment perhaps explains why the Scotland scrum-half is known as Smiler to his team-mates.
Upon his return to Glasgow Warriors, he was determined to use the power of positive thinking as a key part of his rehab.
When his studs got stuck in the turf in the game against the Irish and his foot turned the other way, he feared the worst. It could have been a ligamentsnapper. Or, in other words, a season-ender.
‘I thought I had just gone over on it a bit awkwardly, like maybe the stud on my boot had just got stuck or something,’ he explained. ‘But I had actually fractured the fifth metatarsal — it’s known as the Jones fracture to doctors.
‘It was just in a niggly place. You don’t realise how much weight you put through the outside of your foot until you can’t walk.
‘It was 50-50 in terms of whether I’d get an operation. But, rather than waiting three weeks to find out, I just got it done quickly.
‘I’ve still got metal in my foot. There’s a screw in there which will probably stay there for the rest of my life now.
‘When I arrived back home, you start looking for positives. It could have been ligaments or something, which would have meant I’d still be out injured right now and for a few more months.
‘It was a simple fracture. That may sound silly, but it was probably the best of a bad situation in terms of recovery time.
‘I was obviously disappointed with my injury and the way it worked out for me. But I had to park that quickly. It’s part of the game, so what can you do?’
Having made his comeback off the bench in the European games against Sale Sharks and Exeter Chiefs over the past two weeks, Price could now be handed a start against Leinster in the Pro14 on Saturday.
His return has been ahead of schedule in any case — and all the more so given that any sort of ligament damage would have meant a much more prolonged absence.
‘When I got home, I initially tried to avoid it all and avoid watching the World Cup,’ he continued. ‘When you’re sat in the house and have just had an operation, it’s hard watching where you think you should be.
‘But, as time went on, my foot was getting better and I was supporting the boys throughout the rest of the tournament. Once it gets to the semis and the final, I was just enjoying watching it as a rugby fan.
‘I am keen to start on Saturday, if selected. It’s been a long time for me — Georgia at home (World Cup warm-up on September 6) was the last time I started a game. That seems a long time ago now.
‘Once I start a game again and I get to the 50 or 60-minute mark, it’s only then that I’ll really know how I feel physically.
‘But I feel good just now and from the minutes I’ve had so far. My rehab has gone well and I have a couple of weeks’ training under my belt.
‘I’m raring to go now and there’s no better game to have a crack at it than Leinster, so, yeah, I’m excited.’
The battle for the No 9 jersey at club level between Price and George Horne will be an intriguing sub-plot in Glasgow’s season with the Six Nations soon coming into focus.
Price had the edge at the World Cup prior to his injury and, with Greig Laidlaw’s international future still unclear, the pecking order could be set for a shake-up.
‘The competition is strong between us,’ said Price, with a nod to Horne’s excellent form over the past couple of months. ‘We both want the same shirt essentially.
‘Going forward, someone is obviously going to start getting favoured in certain games. It’s
then about how the other person reacts. You can push and try to win the shirt back.
‘It’s healthy. If we’re both playing well and we go into a Scotland squad, then it’s just a case of the best man wins.
‘We just need to do our jobs. You can’t be angry at someone if they play well or get picked ahead of you — it is what it is.’
One man who has found himself on the wrong end of Dave Rennie’s selection policy is Huw Jones, after failing to even make the bench in either of the two Champions Cup games against Sale and Exeter.
A close friend of Jones off the pitch, Price added: ‘I know Huw talks to Dave, and Dave has his reasons for picking certain teams. Huw’s human, he’s obviously disappointed because he wants to play.
‘I would be disappointed if I was in his position and hadn’t been getting picked. But he’s a good player.
‘It’s not like he’s just become a bad player overnight. What he’s done on the field, no one can take away from him — he’s got highlight-reel stuff.
‘I think when he’s been given a chance this season he’s performed well. As far as I’m aware, it’s just been horses for courses over the past couple of weeks.’