To an outside observer it would have seemed a perfectly normal sight: a scrum-half came off the bench with 25 minutes to go, slotted in seamlessly, and played his part in his team’s narrow victory.
But to followers of Scottish rugby, the identity of the scrum-half - although certainly not the polish with which he performed - made this occurrence on Friday night a highly unusual one.
And, after contributing to Edinburgh’s 31-23 victory over the Bulls at Hive Stadium, Ali Price himself admitted it all felt rather strange. After all, the 30-year-old has spent the best decade as a Glasgow player, and one of the most influential members of the Warriors squad into the bargain. He is far from the first Scottish professional to make the short trip along the M8 from one team to another, but he is surely one of the last names that most of us would have expected to do so.
“This is strange, don’t get me wrong,” Price said following the win, Edinburgh’s fourth in five URC outings. “I’ve been going into Scotstoun for ten years. I never thought that last Monday I would be turning up at Murrayfield to train for Edinburgh or that I would be wearing this kit, to be perfectly honest with you.
“But here I am. I gave my all over at the Glasgow side of the M8 and I’m excited for this new challenge. It’s something that is good for myself and I’m looking to throw myself into it, enjoy playing my rugby and we’ll see what happens.
“I arrived here last Monday, got settled in and have thoroughly enjoyed my time so far. Sean [Everitt, Edinburgh’s senior coach] spoke to me at the start of the week and asked me if I was good to go, if I was looking to get straight in there.
“I guess that’s me part of the club now and back in the mix. I was keen to get involved straight away, learn my detail on Monday and Tuesday and show what I can contribute, show what I’m all about to the boys and the club. It’s been an enjoyable week.”
When Price’s move was announced, the conventional wisdom was that it was all about what was best for the national team. With two other Scotland internationals, George Horne and Jamie Dobie, also part of the Warriors squad, there was clearly a logjam there. But if that was indeed the thinking behind the scenes, Price insisted it was not a topic that had been broached by Everitt, Glasgow coach Franco Smith or even national coach Gregor Townsend.
“No,” he said when asked if either pro team coach had discussed the national issue. “I don’t think that has any relevance, to be quite honest with you.
“It’s nobody’s right to be in an international team. Everyone knows you have to play rugby. I wasn’t guaranteed anything: it wasn’t a case of ‘Go here, we’ll play you every week and you’ll get in the [Scotland] squad’. That’s just not true.
“I was asked, if the opportunity arose, what would I like to do. Gregor didn’t speak to me about it.
“I’ve made this decision for myself, when the opportunity got given to me. Whatever has happened above me or behind the scenes doesn’t concern me.
“Like everybody else, I have to fight for my place. Given the opportunity, or in the minutes I get given, I’d like to show my value and we’ll go from there.”
Asked if he had had much notice of the offer to move, or if it had come entirely out of the blue, Price continued: “I don’t think that’s important, to be honest with you. I got given the opportunity, or I was asked the question as to whether I would consider it, and I said yes.
“I said I would like to challenge myself and work in a different environment with everything that goes along with that. That was my part - I got asked what I wanted to do and I was happy to come across.”
Price’s loan is for the whole season, after which he is out of contract. Asked if he expected to play for the Warriors again, he added: “I don’t know the ins and outs of it. So who knows?”
