Jamie Ritchie not guaranteed Scotland captaincy as Gregor Townsend opens up on other options

Flanker ‘has got a challenge this week’ when he returns from injury for Edinburgh

Jamie Ritchie has been challenged to prove his form and fitness as Gregor Townsend offered no guarantee that the flanker would retain the Scotland captaincy for the Six Nations.

Townsend has named a 39-man squad for the championship which will begin for the Scots with an away game against Wales in Cardiff on February 3. The head coach has selected four uncapped players – Exeter prop Alec Hepburn, Leicester prop Will Hurd, Sale wing Arron Reed and Edinburgh full-back Harry Paterson – and dropped a number of experienced campaigners from the 2023 Rugby World Cup. He has also left the door open for a change of captain. Ritchie, 27, took over as skipper for the 2022 autumn internationals and led the side during last year’s Six Nations and World Cup.

He missed Edinburgh’s Challenge Cup tie against Gloucester last weekend with a jaw injury but is on course to play in Friday’s match against Scarlets in the same competition. Back row is an area of strength for Scotland and Townsend wants to be sure Ritchie is the form man in his position before committing to the captaincy. He also outlined several alternatives who could lead in his absence, including Finn Russell, Sione Tuipulotu and Grant Gilchrist.

“He could feature as captain for us against Wales but there are other players in the mix too,” Townsend said of Ritchie. “He’s got a challenge this week. I believe he is going to be fit and be available to play, which is a bonus, and he’s just got to put his best foot forward in the game on Friday night. He’ll be one of the favourites to be captain, but we’ll leave that decision to after this weekend.

“He’s likely to be competing with the guys who have captained the team before. Rory Darge captained the team, and Finn Russell did as well in the summer, and Grant Gilchrist has captained the team before. Sione Tuipulotu has been a vice-captain and has been leading Glasgow really well in recent weeks, so those are players in our leadership group and I’d have thought if there was a different captain in this Six Nations it would come out of that group.”

Such is the strength in Scotland’s back row that Townsend felt able to leave out Hamish Watson, the Six Nations player of the year in 2021 and a Lions Test player. The coach has recalled Andy Christie, the in-form Saracens flanker, and Bath’s Josh Bayliss, alongside Ritchie’s Edinburgh team-mate Luke Crosbie, and Glasgow’s Darge, Jack Dempsey and Matt Fagerson.

Ritchie has played only six matches since the World Cup after missing the start of the season with a shoulder injury sustained against Ireland in Scotland’s final group game. “If he plays well [against Scarlets] he puts himself in a strong position,” added Townsend. “The first role of our leaders is to play well. That’s the best way to lead because that means you get in the team. Jamie has missed the last two or three weeks and is up against some players who are playing really well in recent weeks so he knows he has to deliver a performance this week which I’m sure he will. Because there’s so much competition in that back row we’ve got to make sure we pick players who are playing well, are in form and will help us win.”

Head coach Gregor Townsend during the press conference to announce his Scotland squad for the 2024 Guinness Six Nations. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

Scotland Six Nations squad

Forwards: Ewan Ashman – Edinburgh (12 caps), Josh Bayliss – Bath (5), Jamie Bhatti – Glasgow Warriors (34), Andy Christie – Saracens (4), Luke Crosbie – Edinburgh (7), Scott Cummings – Glasgow Warriors (33), Jack Dempsey – Glasgow Warriors (15), Rory Darge – Glasgow Warriors (15), Grant Gilchrist – Edinburgh (68), Richie Gray – Glasgow Warriors (78), Matt Fagerson – Glasgow Warriors (40), Zander Fagerson – Glasgow Warriors (62), Alec Hepburn – Exeter Chiefs (uncapped), Will Hurd – Leicester Tigers (uncapped), Johnny Matthews – Glasgow Warriors (1), WP Nel – Edinburgh (61), Jamie Ritchie – Edinburgh (46), Pierre Schoeman – Edinburgh (26), Sam Skinner – Edinburgh (30), George Turner – Glasgow Warriors (40), Glen Young – Edinburgh (3).

Backs: Adam Hastings – Gloucester (27), Ben Healy – Edinburgh (4), George Horne – Glasgow Warriors (26), Darcy Graham – Edinburgh (39), Rory Hutchinson – Northampton Saints (8), Huw Jones – Glasgow Warriors (43), Blair Kinghorn – Toulouse (50), Stafford McDowall – Glasgow Warriors (1), Harry Paterson – Edinburgh (uncapped), Ali Price – Edinburgh (66), Cameron Redpath – Bath (9), Arron Reed – Sale Sharks (uncapped), Kyle Rowe – Glasgow Warriors (1), Finn Russell – Bath (75), Kyle Steyn – Glasgow Warriors (15), Sione Tuipulotu – Glasgow Warriors (22), Duhan van der Merwe – Edinburgh (34), Ben White – Toulon (18).