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Scotland scrum half Ali Price says it was an emotional day at Murrayfield on Saturday and a night that will “remain in the memory for a long time”.
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The 24-year-old joined former Scotland international Jim Hamilton and ex-England fly half Andy Goode on The Rugby Pod this week to talk them through the electric atmosphere at the home of Scottish rugby and how disappointed the squad were not to beat the All Blacks for the first time.
Doddie Weir, who is suffering from Motor Neurone Disease, brought out the match ball before kick-off with his three sons and the players all donated their jerseys to be auctioned off afterwards.
There was barely a dry eye in the house and Price said that emotion was a real factor and the crowd also played a huge role in proceedings.
“We knew Doddie [Weir] was going to come out beforehand and we knew what was happening with our jerseys, so that obviously added something extra to the game,” he said.
“Matt Taylor, our defence coach, had a word with me before the game about trying to bring energy and I was just trying to encourage the crowd as much as I could. I love the buzz that they gave us. It was unbelievable.”
Price also revealed that captain John Barclay got emotional when giving his pre-match team talk and that the whole week leading up to the game was very different to a normal international.
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“It was a big occasion. [John] Barclay gave us our chat before we came out and you could tell he was emotional and pretty riled up,” he told The Rugby Pod.
“There was a different feel about the whole week to be honest. We didn’t play as well as we could have against Samoa and then there was more media around training leading up to the All Blacks game.
“You try not to focus too much on who you’re playing and just concentrate on yourselves but it’s hard to do that when you’re up against the All Blacks, so there was a lot of chat about them.
“Coming into the game the boys were nervous but we were really focused and you could tell that in the warm-up. There was a light show at Murrayfield as well and the crowd were in their seats before we had even got into the tunnel.”
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Scotland have never beaten the All Blacks before and, while they came up just short again, they came within a whisker of taking the win as Stuart Hogg threatened to break clear at the end. Price said the players were disappointed to lose but it was still a very special night.
“We almost did it and it was a shame to come up just short at the end but it’s definitely a night that I’ll never forget,” he said.
“It’s one of those games that will remain in the memory for a long time.”
You can listen to all previous episodes of The Rugby Pod Here
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