Glasgow Warriors: Jamie Dobie learning from the best in Ali Price and relishing chance to face Edinburgh

Jamie Dobie travelled to Rome with the Scotland squad at the weekend and witnessed a masterclass from his Glasgow Warriors team-mate Ali Price as Scotland won at the Stadio Olimpico.

Jamie Dobie is in line to play for Glasgow Warriors against Edinburgh on Friday. (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group)

Watching his fellow scrum-half win the man of the match award on his 50th appearance for his country was an instructive experience for Dobie who was in Italy to provide cover as a travelling reserve.

Having won his first cap in the autumn, Dobie is now in a situation where he is vying with Price for the No 9 jersey for both club and country.

While some might feel cowed by the thought of having to compete with the Lions Test scrum-half, the 20-year-old is relishing working with Price as he continues to build on his huge potential.

Scotland's Ali Price celebrates with the Cuttitta Cup after the win over Italy. Picture: Mike Egerton/PA Wire

“It’s just great to have him to learn from,” said Dobie. “I was actually across in Rome in the end - I travelled as 24th man - so I was able to see him and he was playing out of his skin the whole game.

“It’s great to have someone with that experience that I can talk to, that I can watch in training every single day and pick up tips from.

“It’s the opposite of daunting. It’s positive for me and when he’s away with the national team as at the moment hopefully it means I can get a bit more game time, take the stuff I’m learning from him and the other scrum-halves here and put that into the game.”

Dobie is likely to be given such an opportunity on Friday. While Price is in Dublin preparing for Scotland’s final Six Nations match of the campaign, Dobie is expected to be lining up for Warriors against Edinburgh in the rearranged 1872 Cup match at Scotstoun.

With both sides level on points in joint fourth place in the United Rugby Championship there is plenty at stake in the first inter-city derby to be played in front of fans for a couple of years.

“I think there’s no better game to be coming back into,” said Dobie. “A packed-out Scotstoun is what everyone wants to be playing in front of. So to have that crowd behind us on Friday night - and obviously there will be plenty of Edinburgh fans across as well - is good for both teams, I think.”

Scrum-half is a position of strength for Scotland at the moment. There are three international nines at Glasgow alone and Edinburgh’s Ben Vellacott is also knocking at the door and made his first international appearance as a late substitute against Italy. Ben White scored a memorable try on his debut against England last month and Gloucester’s Charlie Chapman has impressed in the Premiership.

Dobie, who won his first cap in the win over Tonga in October, knows competition is fierce.

“We all want to be in that squad and in the 23 playing at the weekend,” he said. “Ali is obviously there with the number one spot held down, but there are lots of us who have been in and out of squads.

“For me personally it is all about taking these opportunities in international windows. I didn't have a chance to play a lot between the autumn and Six Nations campaigns for Glasgow so in the chances I’m getting to start - the other week and a few games coming up now - it is about making the most of the opportunities, seizing opportunities.”

A message from the Editor: Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers. If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.