Scotstoun assistant coach says flanker is ‘itching to go’ as squad get set for Italy trip
Former Scotland captain Jamie Ritchie is in line to make his highly anticipated debut for Glasgow Warriors in this weekend’s URC clash against Benetton.
Assistant coach Nigel Carolan revealed that the flanker is “itching to go” having participated in full training over the past few weeks. The former Edinburgh man arrived at Scotstoun in the summer from French outfit Perpignan with an ankle injury and subsequent Achilles tendon problems which have so far kept him on the sidelines.
Those issues now appear to be behind the 30-year-old who is available for Saturday’s match at the Stadio Monigo. “The short answer is yes,” said Carolan when asked if Ritchie would be ‘in the mix’ to play this weekend.
Glasgow coach excited to ‘unleash’ Jamie Ritchie as Warriors set for URC return against Benetton
“He's training fully, we feel he's integrated into the systems now very well and he's itching to go. It would be great if we get him involved this week, either starting or on the bench, but it would be very positive to have him involved, especially ahead of Scotland's Nations Championship in a couple of weeks.”
Gregor Townsend was due to name his national team squad for their November Test matches this week. However, that decision has been delayed to give the selectors more time particularly with both Glasgow and Edinburgh back in URC action this weekend.
With an announcement now due next Monday, the delay could prove particularly helpful for Ritchie with Carolan clarifying that the Warriors coaches didn’t want to rush the back rower into action before now. He added: “I think it was important to get that timing right.
“We could have involved him maybe last week, but that was Ruwald's [van der Merwe] time. But we feel the time has come to unleash Jamie Ritchie in a Glasgow Warriors shirt.
“I didn't know Jamie really until he came to the club. He's quiet about how he goes about it. He doesn't bang drums and make too much noise.
“He quietly goes about his business. But I've certainly seen his leadership style and how effective it is in the short time he's been here. I think he knows when to push buttons and what buttons to press with certain players, but he's a player that leads by example. He doesn't have to do too much talking.
“He doesn't need to raise his voice too much to be heard because I think when he does speak, people listen to him. I can't wait until he gets his first game and see how he integrates with us. I think we were the same with Ruwald. If I remember this week, we weren't too sure.
“Culturally, he's come from a totally different background. Jamie's a lot more aligned to the Scottish system, so I'm very keen to see how he goes.”
Also back in contention this weekend is veteran prop Rory Sutherland, taking more big names off the club’s previously extensive unavailable list. Fellow Scotland internationals Kyle Steyn, Zander Fagerson and Alex Craig all played their first minutes of the season in Saturday’s Champions Cup win over Sale Sharks.
Hooker Gregor Hiddleston was a late withdrawal from the team but Carolan revealed his injury is not as bad as initially feared and he will return to training this week. The game in Italy will come too soon for Matt Fagerson though as Warriors give him time to recover and the best possible chance to feature for Scotland next month.
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