| Venue: Murrayfield, Edinburgh Date: Saturday October 29 To start up: 5:30 p.m. GMT |
| Cover: Live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app |
As Jamie Ritchie toured the Murrayfield media room on Friday, shaking hands with writers and broadcasters while sporting a smile as big as the stadium’s famous end zone, it was easy to see why his appointment as captain of Scotland was met. almost universal approval.
The backline has long been seen as a future national skipper. Grant Gilchrist said it this week, as soon as Ritchie showed up in Edinburgh straight out of high school, he knew he had a special talent. “In my eyes, he was always going to be the captain of Scotland,” enthuses Gilchrist.
Quite a statement from Gilchrist, a man who has led his country many times and could have been a credible candidate for the role himself once Gregor Townsend decided to relieve Stuart Hogg of his duties. But Gilchrist couldn’t have been clearer – Townsend named the right person.
“It’s quite surreal. It’s hard to put into words,” Ritchie said after being named captain ahead of matches against Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and Argentina.
“It’s a huge honor for me and my family. They are extremely proud of me and I’m really happy to have the opportunity to make things happen.”
Driving Scotland forward is the big challenge this autumn, with the clear feeling that the team is at a standstill in 2022.
A disappointing Six Nations and a series defeat in Argentina – not to mention the off-field dramas that have engulfed the team lately – have left the impression of a side drifting towards next year’s World Cup instead. than picking up speed.
A serious hamstring injury sustained in the Six Nations win over England in the first round forced Ritchie to withdraw from the rest of the Championship and summer tour. Now that he’s back in charge in Saturday’s opener against Australia, he wants Scotland to rediscover the habit of winning.
“There will be swings in the game where there will be times when we’re not on top, but it’s about how we recover it,” he said.
“I’m confident that we as a team will fight to reclaim those moments. If we win more of those moments, hopefully we’ll come out on the right side of the score.”
In addition to the endorsement of Townsend, Gilchrist and others, Ritchie especially has the support of his predecessor as captain.
“I have enormous respect for Hoggy as a man and a rugby player,” Ritchie said. “He was one of the first guys to congratulate me. He sent a nice message to say he was supporting me. It meant a lot.
“He’s a hugely passionate Scotsman and playing for Scotland means the world to him. The way he used the group around him – there were days when he didn’t talk much, he used the leaders around him – and I plan to take that too.
“The most important thing for me is just to be myself. I’ve had the chance to play for Scotland for the past few years and I’m confident I can continue the form I’ve shown. I think that consistency is one of my strengths.”
Dempsey has a point to prove?
Ritchie will be hoping to extend Scotland’s three-game winning streak against Australia, with the last game taking place 12 months ago at Murrayfield.
The loss was painful for Dave Rennie on his first return to Scotland since leaving Glasgow Warriors to take control of the Wallabies. A year later, he’s still ruining the chances his team let slip that day.
Rennie and Townsend are cut from the same cloth in terms of vision of the game. They want their teams to play at high tempo, attacking rugby with the ball in hand. At least that’s the goal.
Their national team reigns also bear many of the same characteristics. Thrilling victories undermined by a crippling inconsistency.
Rennie has engineered wins over the All Blacks and South Africa (twice) and secured a series win over France, but 2022 has been a challenge. The Wallabies have won just three of their nine Tests this year.
It’s not too different from the Scottish record of three out of eight wins, but Rennie insists that doesn’t tell the whole story.
“They took a pretty young team to Argentina,” Rennie said. “Thinking back to the Six Nations, they had a good win against England and they lost to France and Ireland, the two best teams in the world.
“We have enormous respect for them and are well aware of the threat they can pose.
“There is no shortage of talent considering there are only two contributing clubs. That has always been the most amazing thing.
“Historically they’ve always recruited quite well. There are quite a few Australians and South Africans who wear Scottish colors these days, which has helped them create a lot of depth.”
One of those Aussies in Scottish colors will be Jack Dempsey, the 14-cap former Wallaby who is set to make his debut on the bench against his homeland.
“We always felt he was a bit lacking in physicality,” was Rennie’s explanation for allowing Dempsey away from the Australian setup and into the waiting arms of Scotland.
It wouldn’t be surprising if those words were whispered in Dempsey’s ear just before he rushed onto the field at Murrayfield to make his Scottish bow against the country whose colors he wore.
