LEADING MAN
Ritchie says captaincy would be the ultimate accolade
JAMIE RITCHIE admits it would be an ‘amazing honour’ if he was asked to be Scotland’s new long-term captain. The uncertainty around the captaincy stems back to the end of the Six Nations earlier this year, when head coach Gregor Townsend refused to offer any guarantees that Stuart Hogg would retain the role.
Hogg had been part of a group of players who had breached disciplinary rules by visiting a bar in Edinburgh, details of which were leaked on the eve of the final game against Ireland in Dublin.
He was then rested for the summer tour of Argentina, with Grant Gilchrist and Hamish Watson leading the team in their 2-1 series defeat against the Pumas.
Hogg, who has held the role since early 2020, may well continue as skipper. But, at the end of the Argentina tour, Townsend admitted that he hadn’t yet decided who will captain the team for the autumn series later this year.
Edinburgh flanker Ritchie has long been touted as a future captain of the national team and Townsend is known to be an admirer of his leadership skills.
He would also have a positional advantage over full-back Hogg, with his regular involvement at the breakdown putting him in close contact with the referee.
Ritchie won’t get too hung up on the issue, but he admits it would be the ultimate honour if he was asked to lead the national team.
‘If I get asked, it would be amazing,’ said the 25-year-old, who is now returning to full fitness after suffering a horrible injury against England in the Six Nations which saw him tear his hamstring off the bone.
‘It’s not something I’m going to hang my hat on and be like: “Yeah, I definitely want to do it or else I’m not playing”.
‘When I was a kid, I didn’t dream about being captain of Scotland. I just dreamed of playing for Scotland and that, for me, was always the goal.
‘If you get offered that honour of being captain, then great. I think we have loads of good leaders. You could probably pick from five or six boys who have done a good job.
‘I thought Mish (Hamish Watson) coming in and doing it in Argentina was awesome. I was really chuffed for him.
‘Captaincy’s a funny thing. It’s very much a title but it’s about the group around you. You can be the figurehead of a much bigger machine.
‘I’ve been around for a while now — this is season No 9. It doesn’t feel like that long since I started.
‘It’s just one of those things, I guess — it’s always been something that I’ve enjoyed around the game, the leadership aspect to it.
‘Captaining teams at school and age-grade was always something that I felt I was OK at.
‘It’s pretty much something that you need to work on — it’s a skill like anything else that can be improved over time.
‘I guess it is something that you have naturally, but it’s also something that needs to be worked on.
‘It’s something that I take a great interest in and try and do a lot of learning on it.
‘It’s something that I enjoy, whether as a captain or not as a captain, looking at defence or just speaking up. If something needs to be said, that’s leadership.’
Asked if some of the off-field issues or firefighting would ever put him off being captain, Ritchie joked: ‘I guess it’s up to you guys how much s*** you throw!
‘But would it put me off it? No, I don’t think it would. In the position I’m in now, you’re under scrutiny anyway.
‘I don’t see my own value based around what people would say on social media. My self-worth comes from me, the people I care about, my family and my team-mates.
‘So long as they’re not the ones who are saying whatever expletives people would use online, I’m not really too worried.’
Ritchie expects to be fully fit for the start of the new season with Edinburgh, as they look to build on an impressive first season under the guidance of Mike Blair.
They will be back in the Heineken Champions Cup and will also be looking to build on an impressive campaign in the United Rugby Championship after reaching the play-offs last term.
Ritchie felt it was the right thing to do to miss the tour of Argentina in order to give himself a rest ahead of what will be a huge 18 months ahead.
‘There was a bit of chat about me maybe being fit for the last couple of games,’ he said. ‘But, when it came round to it, I think it would have been a push.
‘It’s a big 18 months ahead with Edinburgh being back in Europe, a big autumn and Six Nations with Scotland if I’m involved, and then the World Cup.
‘There’s going to be a lot of rugby. I wanted to make sure I’m 100 per cent for that rather than rushing back.
‘I knew straight away it (the injury) was a bad one. I remember it quite well. It was around 50-odd minutes into the game.
‘We went up for a lineout and then a maul. One of their boys tackled, I think it was Luke Cowan-Dickie.
‘I went to try and go over the ball, but just got stuck in a bad position. I had already slipped, but then two other guys went to clear me out.
‘One got me from the back and one got me from the side of the hip, so it was pretty awkward. My knee was still straight, but I could basically feel my hamstring coming off the bone.
‘I knew at that point it was pretty bad. I tried to get up and walk off, but I could barely use my legs.’ lJamie Ritchie was speaking at the launch of Edinburgh Rugby’s new partnership with Uhuru, who become the club’s Official Rum Partner and kit sponsor ahead of the 2022/23 season.