It’s a tough time just now but we back Mike to the hilt, says Ritchie
EDINBURGH co-captain Jamie Ritchie insists the players need to carry the can for a poor run of form rather than head coach Mike Blair.
The back-row forward said everybody at the club was totally supportive of Blair, who is under real pressure for the first time since he took over 16 months ago.
Edinburgh have fallen to four straight league defeats, losing the 1872 Cup after back-to-back losses to Glasgow Warriors, and are outside the top eight that make the end of season play-offs in the United Rugby Championship.
Ritchie said the losses to Glasgow had been tough to take and it was vital his team bounced back against Zebre at the DAM Health Stadium next weekend.
‘It is a tough time just now for us as games against Glasgow are always a bit more emotionally fuelled,’ said Ritchie. ‘It is quite raw at the moment but we back Mike to the hilt and we will support him as well as we can just as he supports us.
‘The dialogue between us and him is great. Really, it is not anything to do with him, it is about our application on the pitch and that’s something we need to get right on the field.
‘No one likes losing but I wouldn’t say it’s affected our training or the environment at the club at all. Guys are desperate to win and it’s frustrating when we don’t. In terms of how we are as a collective, training is competitive, we work hard and that won’t change.’
The one big positive for Ritchie and his team is that Zebre are bottom of the URC and haven’t won a game all season, so they should be able to secure a confidence-boosting bonus-point win. He made clear that one of the problems this season has been an inability to finish teams off and he won’t be showing any sympathy to the Italian outfit.
‘We have to capitalise on our good performances as we are probably taking our foot off the pedal a bit, not putting teams away and allowing sides back into it,’ said Ritchie, who shares the captaincy with Grant Gilchrist. ‘If you look at the last few games, against Saracens in Europe we played really well and then kind of let them back into it, gave them opportunities to get ahead and a good team like that will stay ahead. ‘Castres in Europe was probably similar as there were peaks and troughs and they came back into it. It was probably closer than it should have been although we won. For us, it is just about trying to work out how we can put in the 80-minute performances needed to put teams away.’ Meanwhile, confidence is high at Warriors as they look ahead to taking on Stormers next at Scotstoun. South African forward Sintu Manjezi knows plenty of the Stormers players from his time with the Bulls and the Cheetahs back home, and the challenge they will bring.
‘Stormers as the defending champions is going to be a big one for us,’ he said. ‘I played against them a few times from my time back in South Africa and I know a few of the guys there from playing at Cheetahs and Bulls.
‘Stormers have an edge in attack and execute well in the opposition 22. They can have one strike and normally score a try from that and they can create from anywhere. They have a lot of ball players and guys who like to thrive off scraps.
‘That is what they will bring but we’re confident in our own abilities and what we’re able to do. If we can really execute what we’re good at, it should be a good encounter. It’s certainly going to be special to take on the defending champions but, more importantly, we’re back at home. We really enjoy playing in front of our own fans as they really do give us an edge.’
Manjezi said the derby matches with Edinburgh had been the perfect build-up as they had been among the most physical encounters he had ever taken part in during his career.
‘South African teams are usually pretty physical but don’t play down the physicality of the Scottish derby and how much the guys went at it out there,’ he said. ‘In fact, I was a little bit surprised about the physicality in the games. Edinburgh really brought it to us, especially in the second one. We were able to break them down in the second half of both games but it was really physical in the first half, especially the one at Murrayfield, so if we can handle that then hopefully it stands us in good stead for Stormers.’
Winning the 1872 Cup in his first season was a special and unexpected surprise for Manjezi, who was at the heart of the action in both matches.
‘It was absolutely brilliant to get my hands on the trophy at the end and I know how much it meant to the Scottish boys in particular,’ said the 27-year-old.
‘They had told me Glasgow normally win at home and Edinburgh the same, so for us to be able to win both halves of the derby — home and away — was a really good feeling for me.
‘The belief we have as a team is that we can play in finals and do well there, but that’s a long-term goal.’