CAPTAIN A TOP JOB BUT CAPS MY BIG THRILL
JAMIE RITCHIE reckons it would be an honour to be asked to captain Scotland this season.
But the 25-year-old also insisted last night he has already fulfilled his boyhood dream by turning out for the national side.
The Edinburgh forward is ready to make his comeback from a serious hamstring injury in a few weeks after missing most of the Six Nations and the summer tour to South America.
And if he hits top form in the opening months of the new campaign he could force his way into Gregor Townsend’s plans for the Autumn Tests.
Grant Gilchrist was skipper for the first two Tests against Argentina, taking over from Stuart Hogg, who was given the summer off. Then Hamish Watson replaced his Edinburgh team-mate for the third and final match.
So Townsend has quite a few players he can choose from to lead the side in November, when New Zealand, Australia, Argentina and Fiji all visit BT Murrayfield. But the coach insisted last week he had not decided who should get the honour.
Ritchie said: “If I get asked it would be amazing. 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. We have loads of good leaders. You could probably pick from five or six boys who have done a good job.
“I thought Mish Watson coming in and doing it in Argentina was awesome.
“It’s always been something I’ve enjoyed around the game, the leadership aspect. Captaining teams at school and age grade was always something that I felt I was okay at.
“I guess it’s something you have naturally but it’s also something that needs to be worked on.
“It’s something I enjoy, whether as a captain or not. If something needs to be said, that’s leadership.”
The captain is often the player who bears the brunt of any criticism when things go wrong but Ritchie insisted that would hold no fears for him.
He added: “Would it put me off it? No, I don’t think it would. In the positions 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 saying whatever expletives people would use online, I’m not really too worried.”
● Jamie Ritchie was speaking at the launch of Edinburgh’s new sponsorship agreement with Uhuru Rum, kit sponsors and official rum partners.