Jamie Ritchie was destined to be Scotland captain - he's always been mature beyond his years, says team-mate

Jamie Ritchie will become Scotland’s fourth captain in seven months when he leads the team out against Australia on Saturday but Grant Gilchrist has long been convinced the Edinburgh flanker is the right man to skipper the national side.

Grant Gilchrist, right, always felt Jamie Ritchie would ascend to the Scotland captaincy. (Photo by Ross Parker / SNS Group)

Gilchrist recalls the teenage Ritchie turning up at Edinburgh for the first time, fresh out of school, and it didn’t take long for the Dundee-born player to make a favourable impression. “He was always, in my eyes, going to be Scotland captain,” said Gilchrist. “Over the last few years he’s been a standout player for us, and his leadership has evolved as he’s got more experience as well. I know how much it means to him, and he’s going to do a great job.

“He was always an old head on young shoulders. He always spoke with clarity about the game. At a young age he had an understanding of the game and he had the leadership potential. I was a bit older than Jamie when he first came in to the Edinburgh squad and you could see he was still young, but that potential was always there. Over the past five or six years he has matured, year on year, got better in his leadership and his playing.”

Gilchrist himself held the post during the summer, captaining Scotland in the first two Tests on the tour of Argentina before handing over to Hamish Watson for the decider in Santiago del Estero. Before that, Stuart Hogg had captained with distinction for three successive campaigns. The full-back was rested for the tour and then Gregor Townsend decided the time was right for a changing of the guard. The coach hopes that unburdening Hogg will allow the player to flourish.

Grant Gilchrist celebrates during Scotland's win over Australia in the 2021 Autumn Nations Series. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

“Gregor met with all the guys who had recently captained,” said Gilchrist. “I was really on board with it. I co-captain with Jamie at Edinburgh, he’s a close friend as well, and he has my absolute backing. In my experience as a captain, I know that will be very important to help Jamie. There is a group of us, experienced players, who can help them and take some of the weight off him to let him read and play his game as well. I know that all the guys who are in that leadership group underneath Jamie will be all of the same mindset. We are right behind him and we will take some of the slack to let him lead on his terms.”

Ritchie, who is now 26 and missed the South American tour through injury, has co-captained Scotland once before, sharing the honour with Ali Price last season against Tonga.

Rather unusually, Scotland find themselves three places above Australia in the world rankings going into Saturday’s opening autumn Test. The Wallabies are a lowly ninth and also striving to avoid a fourth successive defeat against Townsend’s side. Despite the favourable statistics Gilchrist dismissed the notion that the Scots can turn up at Murrayfield with a superiority complex.

“We are not going in with any kind of complex,” said the lock. “We are not going in thinking we are underdogs, we are expected to win. We know it is a Test match against a top-quality side. Ninth in the world does not give you a fair reflection of where they are as a team. From watching the games I have watched, they are a top-quality side. On the day they can beat anyone, as they have shown in the Rugby Championship. We know they are quality opposition, but there is also a pressure within ourselves to perform, regardless of who we are playing against.”

Jamie Ritchie and Grant Gilchrist are co-captains at Edinburgh. (Photo by Ross Parker / SNS Group)

Scotland edged it 15-13 against the Wallabies in last season’s autumn series, with hooker Ewan Ashman stepping off the bench to score the decisive try on his debut with a finish worthy of a winger. Townsend felt his side didn’t play particularly well that day but it stretched their winning run against the Aussies to three games under the coach. Gilchrist enjoys playing Australia but knows revenge will be in the air this weekend.

“Our recent record has been outstanding, but every time we play at home we feel the responsibility to perform, for our country and for the people who are watching there or at home,” he said. “The record doesn't change anything, I’m sure they’ll be gunning for us. That feeling of they owe us one, we have to make sure we’re ready for that. We’ve had exceptional performances against them but it takes that, they’re a top class team with top class coaches. We’re under no illusions, it has to be our best performance.

“Australia don't kick a lot, they like to run the ball and they like to play in a similar style to us at times. It can be nice on the eye if both teams are all-out attack. But we know the lessons we have learned from that gameplan and we will probably want to be, at times, more conservative and kick more and not necessarily go into all-out attack mode.”

Scotland were undone in the final seconds of the final Test in Argentina, a result that cost them the series, and they also squandered a promising position in Wales during the Six Nations. It has raised questions about the team’s ability to close out big matches and, with the Rugby World Cup under a year away, Gilchrist knows Scotland need to start proving they have the mental toughness to see it out.

“There will be key minutes when we have to be very good and ruthless,” he said. “Through 2022 we’ve had some big moments which went against us, and had we been better in those pressure situations you’re looking at a very different set of results. That’s the biggest focus, that consistency. And the big moments in Test matches, we need to be really good in those. The best teams are especially good in those moments.”