Murrayfield scuffle doesn’t mean I’m wind-up merchant – Ritchie

Scotland star Jamie Ritchie has confessed he overreacted during the incident that led to a red card in last month’s Six Nations triumph over France.

The Scots defeated their Grand Slam-chasing visitors 28-17 at Murrayfield after Les Bleus prop Mohamed Haouas was sent-off for a punch on Ritchie.

The Dundee-born Edinburgh flanker was singled out after going to the aid of club team-mate Nick Haining during a first-half flashpoint.

And the 23-year-old, who was accused in some quarters of sparking the fracas unnecessarily by running at speed into the melee, has admitted he should have reacted differently.

He said: “What I saw was four French players around Nick Haining and they were pushing and shoving or whatever, so I ran in – probably a bit too hard, to be honest.

“I pushed one of them and took him to the floor. Then, the guy lifted me up to my feet and banged me in the face.

“I was a bit surprised, I wasn’t expecting it. I had grabbed him as he lifted me up, just to keep him at arm’s length.

“Then, there’s not really much you can do. It just kicked off a bit.

“Whenever you go into these things you never really expect that anything is going to happen, it’s all just ‘handbags’.

“[But] it was a good punch, to be fair to him!”

Ritchie was at the centre of another confrontation during the World Cup when he squared up to stand-off Yu Tamura during the defeat to hosts Japan.

But, despite being singled out as a ‘proper warrior’ by Japan captain Michael Leitch, who presented him with a Samurai sword after the match, Ritchie is adamant he does not deliberately go out looking to wind up the opposition.

He added to the Official Scottish Rugby Podcast: “I don’t go out to niggle anyone. I’m not that into fighting or anything like that, but I’ll always stand up for myself and my team-mates.”