Scotland scrum-half eyes Top 14 final and chance of second trophy with French club
Price aiming for more glory with Montpellier
Ali Price’s move to France could hardly have worked out any better and, having helped Montpellier win one major honour already this season, the scrum-half will attempt to steer them towards a second.
They take on Stade Francais in Marseille on Saturday evening in the Top 14 semi-finals as they look to reach the final for the first time since 2022.
Price has played a key role in Montpellier’s resurgence this season, playing 25 matches and starting 20 of them. He will wear the No 9 jersey at the Stade Velodrome on Saturday, as Olympique de Marseille’s famous home plays host to both Top 14 semis.
Montpellier finished second in the league, four points behind Toulouse and three ahead of Stade Francais. That sealed direct entries into the semis whereas their Paris opponents had come through ‘the Barrage’, beating. They did it with a bit of style, thrashing Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle 45-5 in the French capital last weekend to set up the clash with Montpellier.
European trophy already won
Just last month, Price helped the club from the Hérault department win the European Challenge Cup, playing the full match as they beat Ulster 59-26 in the final in Bilbao. Success in the Top 14 would be on another level, however. Montpellier’s triumph of four years ago remains their sole Top 14 crown but they have eyes on the final at Stade de France next weekend.
Price, who moved to the south of France from Edinburgh last summer, scored a try as Montpellier hammered Stade Francais 44-7 at home in the league in January. But the Parisians had the upper hand when the sides met at Stade Jean Bouin last October, winning 35-12 in a match Price missed.
The scrum-half will have former Glasgow Warriors team-mate Domingo Miotti alongside him on Saturday and there is also a place on the bench for Alex Masibaka who played for Scotland against the Maori All Blacks last summer. Stuart Hogg is not in the squad.
At 33, Price is enjoying a rich vein of form and national coach Gregor Townsend said the 68-times capped half-back was close to winning a Scotland recall for this summer’s Nations Championship matches. For now, his focus is solely on helping Montpellier reach the Top 14 final in Paris.
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