'It's been too long': Ali Price relishing chance to revive Finn Russell half-back pairing with Scotland
Theirs is the most famous bromance in Scottish rugby. They roomed together, shared a flat for years, played rugby for club and country together, holidayed together. And when Finn Russell moved to Paris in a big-money switch to Racing 92, his first visitor was his Glasgow and Scotland half-back partner Ali Price.
The two players are not only great friends, but especially since Greig Laidlaw hung up his boots, their combination on the park has begun to morph into one of those seminal partnerships; a Laidlaw and Rutherford for the professional era. So when Russell walked out on the Scotland squad and was forced to sit out this year’s Six Nations, no one was impacted more than Price, even if it meant he could reprise his club pairing with Adam Hastings on the international stage.
So ahead of Friday night’s match against Georgia at Murrayfield, the little scrum-half was clearly delighted to see Russell back in the Scotland camp for the first time since his epic bust-up with Gregor Townsend back in January. “When Finn came in last night I had a chat with him in the lobby,” said Price. “He was still tired because he had had a busy couple of days, but he was excited to be back in. He trained today and it's great to see - it's great for the squad and for the country.
“It will be exciting. It has been a long time since we played together but we have had some really fun games and have played in big games together. When he came in last night, I hadn't seen him face-to-face for months so it's nice to reconnect. When he takes to the field it will be the first time he has played in a Scotland jersey for over a year. It’s been too long.”
Price, who made his debut against Georgia less than four years ago, also had a few words of caution for those who criticised Russell’s performance for Racing 92 in Saturday’s Champions Cup final defeat to Exeter. The Scot played right on the gainline and was intercepted for a crucial try as Racing lost 31-27 to an Exeter side featuring Scotland teammates Stuart Hogg, Jonny Gray and Sam Skinner.
“I thought Finn did really well in a pretty loose final where the ball was being thrown around,” said Price. “People are very quick to pick up the negatives of a player’s performance, but Finn assisted both of Simon Zebo’s tries and his Champions Cup performances are a massive part of why they made it that far.
“Not everything is going to come off and mistakes are going to happen, but I give him credit for going out there and trying. He plays with confidence and he doesn't let mistakes get to him. He wouldn't be half the player he is if he did. You can look at the negatives, but the amount of risk he takes that comes off - 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.
“He plays this way naturally and sees things on the field that other players just don't see. You shouldn't put a guy like that into a box; you should let him express himself. Just because one kick gets charged down you suddenly tell him not to chip the ball in the next match? I don't think so. You let a guy like Finn just play the game. Every now and then it doesn't come off, but for the vast majority of time he is creating try-scoring opportunities and winning matches.”
