Jamie Ritchie Aims for Scotland Recall After Glasgow Warriors Debut

Jamie Ritchie is targeting a return to the Scotland squad following his successful debut for Glasgow Warriors in Treviso, marking the end of an eight-month struggle with ankle and Achilles tendon injuries. The flanker played a full 80 minutes in Glasgow's come-from-behind 24-20 victory over Benetton.

Ritchie, who joined Glasgow from Perpignan in the summer, had to wait for his first appearance due to his injury setbacks. His performance in Treviso, described as industrious and physical, coincided with Gregor Townsend's postponed announcement for the Nations Championship squad on Monday.

"I’m long enough in the tooth now to know that all you can do is control how you play and how you pitch up," Ritchie stated. "Obviously, I’m reasonably experienced internationally now, so Gregor knows what he will get from me if he decides to pick me. But my job is play and train as best I can and, if given the opportunity, then obviously I would love to be back involved."

Should Ritchie be selected for Scotland, the team faces a challenging autumn schedule with matches against the All Blacks, Australia, and Japan. The competition for back-row places in the Scotland team has intensified with the emergence of players like Gregor Brown, Liam McConnell, and Freddie Douglas, adding to an already competitive pool including Rory Darge, Matt Fagerson, Jack Dempsey, Magnus Bradbury, and Josh Bayliss.

"I think there was probably a time where you would have been reasonably confident of getting in the team," Ritchie reflected. "But now, it’s one of those ones where we’re all very good at different things and sometimes it’s horses for courses and you might be playing really well but you might not get in. We’re all really close, we all support each other, but the competition in the back row for Scotland is up there."

Ritchie, a former captain of Edinburgh and a long-time player for the club, acknowledged the unusual feeling of donning a Glasgow jersey. "I think for the first wee while, getting the kit on, it took me a minute. It felt a little bit strange, but the boys have been super welcoming."

He expressed his excitement about joining Glasgow, noting he had nearly played for the club earlier in his career. "I’m just really excited. I’ve watched Glasgow for a long time. I nearly played for Glasgow when I first started playing pro rugby so it’s something that’s maybe been coming for a while. I’m delighted it’s happened now and just really excited to get stuck in and hopefully keep improving."

Glasgow's attack coach, Nigel Carolan, had anticipated Ritchie's debut, urging the team to "unleash" him. Ritchie's performance in the match was marked by activity at the breakdown, strong tackling, and presence in open play, as well as solid handling under the high ball.

Reflecting on his debut, Ritchie said, "Yeah, good. My body took a wee bit longer to come back than I maybe would have hoped but I’m just delighted to be back out there. I probably wasn’t expecting to get through 80 minutes but I’m glad I did and felt pretty good. A little bit dusty, a little bit rusty in terms of some of my touches and how I’m moving, but I’m feeling good and I just want to keep playing now."