Jamie Ritchie hopes to retain Scotland captaincy as he responds to Six Nations win claim

Jamie Ritchie in the thick of it during Edinburgh's win over Vodacom Bulls in the BKT United Rugby Championship at Hive Stadium. It was his first appearance since the Rugby World Cup. (Photo by Paul Devlin / SNS Group)

Jamie Ritchie may no longer be skipper of Edinburgh but he would dearly love to retain the Scotland captaincy.

The 27-year-old took over in October 2022 and led the national side through that year’s autumn series and the 2023 Six Nations and Rugby World Cup. The tournament in France did not go the way Scotland wanted and Ritchie suffered the added pain of being invalided out in the first half of two of the three Scotland games he played. Nevertheless, it did not diminish the pride he felt.

“It was a privilege and every time I get to captain Scotland it is a great honour,” said the player who has led his country on 14 occasions. “It is something I enjoy doing in terms of the thought that goes into it from my side, the challenge of it, and I am passionate about. It is an easy group to lead and there are a lot of guys in there who helped me. If I get to continue to do it then that would be great.”

Ritchie also became co-captain of Edinburgh last season, working in tandem with Grant Gilchrist, but Sean Everitt, the club’s new coach, decided to unburden Ritchie when he took over in the summer. Ben Vellacott and Gilchrist now share the honour, with Everitt reasoning that Ritchie would flourish if free to concentrate on his rugby. The flanker, who will make his 100th appearance for Edinburgh in Friday’s home game against Benetton, accepted the decision with good grace and promised there would be no diminution in his contribution.

“I met with Sean just after we got back from the World Cup,” said Ritchie. “It was one of the things we spoke about at the meeting. I said, ‘look, whether I am captain or not you will get the same from me in terms of how I will be around the place. If you decide not to make me captain that’s fine, if you do, that’s fine and whatever the decision I will support whoever is [captain]’. That is all I can do. The biggest part of leadership and captaincy for me is being yourself and that should not change whether you have the armband or not.”

Proud as he was to captain his country at the World Cup, Ritchie’s experience was soured by results. Defeats by South Africa and Ireland saw Gregor Townsend's side eliminated in the pool stage and he was further frustrated by injuries which ended his participation in the matches against Tonga and Ireland before half-time. He was on the receiving end of a brutal high tackle by Tongan wing Afusipa Taumoepeau which resulted in a mandatory 14-day stand down. He recovered in time for the Ireland match only to be forced off with a shoulder issue after 20 minutes.

It would be a major surprise if Ritchie did not retain the captaincy for the Six Nations but he’s not making any assumptions. “You will need to ask Gregor,” he said. “I have not been told I don’t have the job. We will wait and see. I have caught up with the coaches since then. We did a personal review and chatted about team stuff and how we look to grow. We are at a different stage of the journey from the two teams we played against in the group.

“It was not how I wanted my World Cup to go personally. As a team we were disappointed with going out early but we have moved on from that.”

Everitt said last week that he believed a fit and in-form Ritchie could help Scotland win the Six Nations, such is his impact and influence. It was a bold statement given Scotland have finished no higher than third since clinching the final Five Nations in 1999 but there were encouraging signs in last season’s championship when they won three games, and Ritchie took the coach’s compliment in his stride.

“That is kind of him,” he said. “I hope so. What you want is everybody playing well and if I am fit and healthy and playing well hopefully I can contribute just the same as anybody else to help Scotland win. That is the goal for us. It will be tough, as it always is in the Six Nations, but we will go in believing we can win every game but there are things we need to learn coming off the back of the World Cup that hopefully we can implement.”

Ritchie returned to club action in Friday’s bonus-point win over the Vodacom Bulls and turned in a typically rumbustious performance against the South African side. Edinburgh have made a solid start under Everitt, winning four from five in the URC. Ritchie, now in his 10th season at the club, is reluctant to make predictions about what the season might hold but he has been impressed by the tenacity shown thus far. “I hate to speak too early but I feel we are building and we have had some results that have gone to the death that in the past may not have gone our way,” he said. “We have a lot to work on but we are winning and learning which is great. We are building in the right direction.”

Friday will be a landmark occasion for Dundee-born Ritchie who took his first tentative steps in rugby with Madras RFC in St Andrews and joined Edinburgh straight from Strathallan School. “It has taken me a wee while to get to 100,” he said. “Making it is really special. This club has been part of my whole adult life. I have been here since I finished school when I was 17 and seen people come and go but the club has been part of my whole adult life and it means a great deal to me. I have grown up here so..for me it will be a very special moment to run out for my 100.”