The competition for places at scrum-half in the Scotland team is "a nice pressure to be under" as they begin the Autumn Nations Cup, says Ali Price.

The Scots will also play Wales in their concluding Six Nations match on 31 October.

"There's four or five guys that all want to start, all want to be in the squad," said Price.

"That's driving us all to be better. There's three of us in the squad now. It's pretty strong. It drives standards and it's not just at nine; at ten, in the centres, back-row, there's loads of options."

Price, his Glasgow Warriors team-mate George Horne and uncapped Harlequins player Scott Steele are the three scrum-halves in Townsend's squad.

Number nine Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, who helped Exeter Chiefs win the European Champions Cup on Saturday, has not made the pool but his club-mates Jonny Gray, Stuart Hogg and Sam Skinner were all selected for the Autumn Nations Cup, along with beaten finalists Racing 92's fly-half Finn Russell.

"It's a nice pressure to be under," added Price. "No-one can rest on their laurels, which perhaps in the past has been the case.

"There's kind of been a first team and everyone knows what the first team is and unless there's an injury, nothing's going to change. Whereas now, if you don't perform, there's boys that are equally as capable of filling your boots, as it were. I like it.

"[Having players in the Champions Cup final] shows the strength of the group at the moment. It can only help the group. These are big games, they're pretty much Test matches."