The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Young scrum-half ready to step up if skipper misses clash with Wales
Young scrum-half ready to fill Laidlaw’s boots should influential captain fail to make Wales clash
Ali Price is ready if captain Greig Laidlaw can’t make Wales in two weeks and won’t have another “rush of blood to the head”.
The young scrum-half replaced Laidlaw after just 25 minutes in Paris on Sunday and his first action was to get penalised as he was too vigorous in trying to get the ball back from French stand-off Camille Lopez.
Lopez missed the resultant penalty so no immediate harm was done, but with Laidlaw now struggling because of his ankle injury – he returned to the care of his club Gloucester yesterday with still no long-term prognosis being made – the youngster who was probably third choice scrum-half at Glasgow at the start of the season could get the No 9 shirt.
“I’d relish the opportunity to start against Wales if Greig doesn’t make it,” he said.
“We will need to see how that progresses, but yes, I’d love to play, especially with the game being at Murrayfield. I’d be ready. If I was called upon to start I’d be prepared and ready to go. I’d obviously speak to the coaches and I’m confident I’d be in a good place for that game.”
Price admits he learned a valuable lesson in staying calm at the Stade de France.
“I think I showed a bit of inexperience when I came on, giving away that penalty,” he said. “I didn’t need to do that and it was a complete rush of blood to the head.
“I hold my hands up for that because it was a mistake to push him like that. I thought a yellow card might be coming but, again, I’ve not gone anywhere near his head.
“I try and play quick and I felt Lopez was trying to stop us take the quick tap.”
Price’s outstanding displays for Glasgow this season have got him into the international matchday 23 since the autumn, but prior to Sunday he had barely 15 minutes on the international pitch, and those were against Georgia at Kilmarnock.
“I was ready, I’ve always been ready,” he said when he realised he was getting on in Paris.
“Every game I’ve been ready to go and against France I got my chance, probably sooner than many people thought.
“I thought after that thing with Lopez I settled and I got myself into the game.
“I try not to dwell on things. I’m a confidence player. I was aware myself I’d made a mistake and everyone around me was telling me to chill. I thoroughly enjoyed the occasion – it was the biggest game of my life. I’m just gutted we couldn’t get the win.”
Price, like most of the Scots, felt they lost an opportunity to win in Paris.
“We came to Paris to win, we knew we had to raise it up a level after the Ireland performance but we really felt we could get the win,” he said.
“That’s why we’re so bitterly disappointed. We gave them too much easy ball in the second half. They were able to get their hands on the ball and they pulled away with two penalties at the end. We feel it’s an opportunity lost. We’ve come back home with a bonus point. Could it have been more? Yes.”
Price seems to have the confidence of the coaches if Laidlaw isn’t available, and the skipper was on crutches returning to the UK yesterday, so his prospects for the Wales date a week on Saturday look grim.
In what was a bruising encounter, four different Scots had to undergo head injury assessments. John Barclay, John Hardie and Fraser Brown all left the field and have started return-to-play protocols, while Alex Dunbar returned to play but felt slight concussion symptoms after the game.
Barclay will be assessed at Scarlets while the three home-based players remain in the care of Dr James Robson and his team.
The other concern is Josh Strauss, for many Scotland’s outstanding player on the day, who suffered a hip injury.
I was aware myself I’d made a mistake and everyone around me was telling me to chill. ALI PRICE