Bonus points remain elusive but Ritchie urges Edinburgh to stick to plan

JAMIE RITCHIE says the fact Edinburgh are continuing to get themselves in positions to score is a sign they are doing things right even if the bonus points are failing to come.

Edinburgh have struggled to get four tries on the board this season with just two winning bonus points all season in the URC.

It was a similar story on Saturday when they scored three but could not quite get the fourth in the 24-7 victory over Cardiff. However, Ritchie is confident that things will go right for them eventually and they will blow a team away.

They had their opportunities and came close near the end when

Mark Bennett just could not get on the end of a Ben Healy crossfield pass before Duhan van der Merwe was also stopped on one of his trademark runs.

The win was the most important thing for Edinburgh in a league that is tightly congested in the play-off spots with six points separating Stormers in fifth with the Lions in 11th as the final few weeks of the season approach.

Ritchie said: “We’re aiming to win all our games in the run-in and that’s another one ticked off. A massive result for us, we knew it would be tough and it was an emotional game for them [with a number of their players appearing at home in their last game for the club], but I’m proud of how we stuck in and got the W.

“We had a few opportunities where we coughed it up five metres out, but you’d rather create and not take them than not create them at all. It’s just little tweaks and we should be converting.

“There’s a little bit of deliberation when we decided to go for points when we could have gone for the corner but I think with hindsight it probably freed us up to score the next try. We nearly got it at the end before the knock- on. It was one of those ones where we didn’t quite get it but happy with the four points.”

Ritchie played an important role in the win and, being a leader at the club and with the table so close, he is keeping an eye on how things are sitting.

He does not believe it is something to become obsessed about but he knows their play-off hopes are in their own hands for now.

They now have a week off before hosting Zebre and the focus is just on taking it one game at a time and seeing where they end up at the end of the season.

He continued: “It’s one of those things you need to have an awareness of but it’s not necessarily something the whole group needs to worry about, just the guys driving the game forward and making the decisions in and around going to a corner or for points. It’s important to have an awareness and it adds a bit of extra motivation.

“All we can do is try and keep winning. Everything else is out of our control. We’ve just got to focus on ourselves and try and get bonus points and see where that gets us.”

FORMER Scotland internationalist Stuart Hogg has revealed on his Instagram account that he has spent time in a rehabilitation centre after feeling “lost”.

Hogg put a post out under the headline:

“It’s been tough”.

The ex-British and Irish Lion said: “I was lost, needed help, direction, time away from the spotlight to be able to take a deep breath and think. I’ve been so concerned about what people thought of me, how I was coming across, the impact I would have on them and how I would survive the day. I lived every moment in my head and it wasn’t healthy.

“Spending time at a rehabilitation centre allowed me to reset, learn about myself and talk about how I felt, without being judged. It’s not been easy but it was the right thing to do.

Taking accountability was the first step in the right direction. I accept I have made mistakes and understand why I acted as I did.

“Personal, private issues being played out in the public eye and online abuse are things that have impacted me significantly, I’ve not been able to deal with it. Online abuse is NOT OK.

“Having some time away has allowed me to see the world differently, be grateful for the things I have and most importantly, be excited about what is in front of me in the short, medium and long term.

“THANK YOU to everyone who has been in touch and offered support, friendship and love. You have helped me through the darkest of times and I will look forward to embracing what is next with you all.”