Jamie Ritchie’s Rugby World Cup ended in individual as well as collective disappointment as he was taken off injured in the first half of the defeat by Ireland that ended Scotland’s involvement in the tournament. A month and a half on from that loss, however, the national captain has not only recovered physically but also regained his sense of measured optimism as he looks ahead to the Six Nations Championship.
The 27-year-old, who last week played for the first time since sustaining that shoulder injury, will make his 100th appearance for Edinburgh on Friday night if selected to play against Benetton. Edinburgh coach Sean Everitt decided not to reappoint Ritchie as club captain for this season, arguing that the back-row forward had enough on his plate fulfilling the same role with Scotland.
Even before Ritchie played a leading role in the hard-fought win over the Bulls, Everitt had seen enough of the player to confidently predict that if Ritchie is on top form he could inspire Scotland to win next year’s Six Nations Championship. Last night, though, Ritchie insisted that everyone in the national squad would have to be on top of their game for that to happen.
“That is kind of Sean,” he said when reminded of the coach’s prediction. “I hope so, definitely. What you want is everybody playing well, and if I am fit and healthy and playing well, hopefully I can contribute just the same as anybody else to help Scotland win.
“That’s the goal for us. It will be tough, as it always is, in the Six Nations. But we will go into it believing we can win every game - but there are things we need to learn coming off the back of the World Cup that hopefully we can implement come Six Nations time.
“The tournament was frustrating for me personally - it was not how I wanted my World Cup to go. As a team we were disappointed with going out early, but we’ve moved on from that now.”
Similarly, both the player and Edinburgh have moved on from the captaincy issue. Ben Vellacott and Grant Gilchrist are the team’s co-captains for the season, but, as was very evident from the way he played in last week’s win against the Bulls, Ritchie remains a key leadership figure for the team.
“I met with Sean just after we got back from the World Cup and said, ‘Look, whether I’m captain or not, you’ll get the same from me in terms of how I’ll be around the place,’” he explained.
“The biggest part of leadership and captaincy for me is being yourself. And that shouldn’t change whether you have the armband or not.
“It’s nice to concentrate on playing and be a bit more selfish in my preparation when I’m here. And then it means if I’m still captain of Scotland I can throw all my efforts into that when we get back into camp.”
That ‘if’ was only inserted because Ritchie had earlier been asked if Scotland coach Gregor Townsend had told him he was still the captain. “You’ll need to ask Gregor - I’ve not been told I don't have the job,” was his reply. In reality, though, Ritchie and Everitt, among others, are working on the assumption that the national captaincy will remain one of his duties going into the Six Nations.
More immediately, of course, there is a URC campaign to engage the attentions of player and coach. Edinburgh have got off to a flying start in the URC with four wins from their first five games, and after some lean times Ritchie is sure they are now firmly on the right track. “This club has been part of my whole adult life, so for me it will be a very special moment to run out for my 100,” he added.
Ritchie took the game to the Bulls straight from kick-off last week, showing little or no sign of rust despite those six weeks on the sidelines. “To come back after a long lay-off like that and put in a performance like he did is admirable,” Everitt said. “Although he didn’t captain the team he led from the front - he was a true warrior on Friday night and that’s what we had to do to be able to beat the Bulls.”
For the coach, Ritchie’s effervescent return showed he had benefited from the post-World Cup break he had had - not only physically but also mentally. “In particular for a leader in a campaign like that, it’s extremely stressful,” Everitt added. “I don’t think the general public, the spectators out there, see the mental side of things. You’re continuously fronting up to the media, and driving performance, and sometimes that’s more exhausting than the game itself.
“So I think the break did him well. I know it tied in with the injury, but he would have got an extended break anyway.”
