Between 2005 and 2017, four British and Irish Lions tours took place to which Scotland managed provided a grand total of three Test caps, with Gordon Bulloch, Ross Ford and Richie Gray all picking up one replacement appearance each.
It is, therefore, quite remarkable – and a sign of how squad depth has been developed – that four Lions Test players from the 2021 tour, boasting a total of seven caps between them, were in the Scotland second-string line-up which dismantled Romania 84-0 last Saturday night.
Scrum-half Ali Price, who played in all three Tests against the Springboks two years ago, was among that group of fringe players desperate to grab the opportunity to push their way into the side that will face Ireland in Saturday’s World Cup Pool B do-or-die showdown against Ireland in Paris.
Flanker Hamish Watson and centre Chris Harris (one Lions cap each) were also in the starting XV, while loose-head prop Rory Sutherland (two Lions caps) came off the bench.
The weakness of the opposition and the settled nature of Scotland’s frontline team means changes are likely to be kept to a minimum this weekend, but all four could come into contention for the match-day 23, with Watson’s ball-carrying making him the best bet to sneak into the starting XV.
As far as Price is concerned, dropping down the pecking order this calendar year behind Ben White and at times his Glasgow Warriors clubmate George Horne has been frustrating, but he felt he enhanced his case against Romania with a sharp 55 minutes (before being replaced by Horne), balancing control with attacking flair which was key to ensuring that this mismatch didn’t turn into a bunfight.
Against an Ireland side who will be hell-bent on turning Saturday’s match into an arm-wrestle, Price’s experience, box-kick and management of tempo are likely to see him selected as scrum-half cover on the bench ahead of the high-octane Horne, who offer pace and broken-field running rather than methodical game management.
“I think it was a combination of things,” said Price, when asked about his slide down the Scotland scrum-half pecking order this calendar year.
“I played in the November Tests and was reasonably happy. I got quite a few minutes under my belt there, then that period between the end of November and the start of the Six Nations I was given time off and I kind of got minutes here and there with Glasgow.
“That was frustrating for me, not getting the game time I would have liked. It came down to others playing well in my position and there’s not much you can do when someone has taken an opportunity, but I would have loved to have played a bit more going into the Six Nations. “I won’t forget the chat that Gregor had with me before the England game [at the start of the Six Nations] when I wasn’t involved. It was a heart-sink moment, that realisation, but I saw it coming because I’d not had as much game time as I would have liked at Glasgow and Ben and George were going well.
“The conversation started with: ‘I know you will be disappointed…’ and I was, but I think my reaction showed my growth … perform in training, show what I can do and get myself back to where I wanted to be. That’s all you can do.”
Price – whose 2019 World Cup campaign ended in disappointment when he picked up a tournament ending foot injury in Scotland’s opening match – concedes that he doesn’t know if he would have handled this set-back as well if it as a younger man.
“I would initially have been disappointed and then it’s very easy to say: ‘Right, I’m not going to help anyone. I’ll turn up for training, but I won’t give my all. I won’t practice my extras’.
“Even just body language: if you go back to the hotel and you’re moping about, thinking everyone is against you and that you hate the world… you can do a lot for yourself by just focusing on what you control.
“I take a lot from that. I work hard and like with anything, it’s one coach’s decision. He’s either going to play you or he’s not. If he doesn’t play you, it’s out of your control, so focus on yourself and see if you can get your opportunity.
“It’s about the bigger picture,” continued Price, who is expecting his first child with partner Annie early next year and believes this has helped him put rugby in perspective. “In life, you grow as a person and a player, you learn more about sport and being angry and upset over decisions which aren’t in your control isn’t going to help anybody.
“It’s not going to help you get where you want to be. Contributing positively, being the opposition in training and just working hard at what you do – that’s the bigger picture.
“That maturity comes with age and from having been around this environment for a while.
“It’s a strong competition and anyone of us can play and anyone of us can back up the other on any given game. We’ve had this group throughout the summer and for the Six Nations so for the whole year we’ve worked as a three and we all bring something a little bit different and we all work well together and I think it’s bringing the best out of all of us. It’s certainly pushing me back to where I want to be. It’s healthy for us as a group on nines. “I believe that when I’m at my best I give the coach the hardest challenge of whether to select me or not and that’s all I can control. That’s my outlook and it has been for the last couple of years. It means I enjoy it more. I’m doing what I love, I’m with a group of boys I get on with really well.
“Being selected at the end of the week is the bonus, but, at the same time, if I’m not, I’m contributing to those guys going out there and doing the best for the team and that’ll get us the results we need to progress.
“It would be one of the biggest games of my career if I was given the opportunity to play on Saturday. I think every chance I’ve had I’ve shown what I can do. I’ve steadily got myself back to where I want to be as a player. I feel I’ve been training well, I’m in good shape and I feel that’s when I play my best.”
