Jamie Ritchie | |
Fullname: | James Thomas Ritchie |
Birth Date: | 16 August 1996 |
Birth Place: | Dundee, Scotland |
Height: | 1.930NaN0 |
Weight: | 1090NaN0 |
School: | Strathallan School |
Position: | Flanker |
Currentclub: | Edinburgh |
Years1: | 2014– |
Clubs1: | Edinburgh |
Apps1: | 113 |
Points1: | 35 |
Repyears1: | 2013 |
Repteam1: | Scotland U18 |
Repcaps1: | 5 |
Reppoints1: | 0 |
Repyears2: | 2014–2016 |
Repteam2: | Scotland U20 |
Repcaps2: | 18 |
Reppoints2: | 25 |
Repyears3: | 2018– |
Repteam3: | Scotland |
Repcaps3: | 52 |
Reppoints3: | 5 |
Clubupdate: | 29 March 2024 |
Repupdate: | 27 July 2024 |
James Thomas Ritchie (born 16 August 1996) is a Scottish professional rugby union player who plays as a flanker for United Rugby Championship club Edinburgh and the Scotland national team.[1]
Jamie Ritchie started his rugby career while being brought up in the city of Dundee. One of his idols is Dundee-born Andy Nicol.
Outside rugby, he was a silver medalist at the British Judo Championships in 2009, the British independent schools judo champion in 2010 and played first XI cricket at his school.[2]
While still a teenager, Ritchie made his first-team debut in October 2014 with an appearance from the replacements' bench in the Pro12 match against Leinster.[3] In January 2021, Ritchie signed the longest deal in Edinburgh's history, with head coach Richard Cockerill describing Ritchie as a future Scotland captain. "“Jamie is an excellent young player with an old head on his shoulders. He has a really bright future ahead of him and we’re delighted he’s signed such a long-term deal. His work-rate is immense but it’s the quality of work within that which sets him apart," Cockerill said.[4]
Ritchie has represented Scotland at under-16, under-18 and under-20.[5] He played in the 2013 and 2014 European Under-18 Rugby Union Championship, the latter as captain. In June 2014 he played four matches for Scotland under-20 at the 2014 IRB Junior World Championship.[6]
Ritchie received his first call up to the senior Scotland squad by coach Gregor Townsend in October 2017 for the autumn internationals.[7] Ritchie received his first senior cap against Canada on the 9 June 2018 in a 48–10 victory.[8]
Ritchie was picked in Scotland's 2019 Rugby World Cup squad. However he fractured his cheekbone in the last warm-up match for Scotland against Georgia.[9]
Ritchie received player of the match in Scotland's match against France in the 2020 Six Nations, after getting punched by France prop Mohamed Haouas[10] During this game Mohamed Haouas was sent off for dangerous play in the 37th minute for punching Ritchie.[11] He once again won a 2020 Six Nations player of the match award, this time against Wales in a 14–10 victory.[12] It was Scotland's first win on Welsh soil since 2002.
In October 2022 Ritchie was named as the captain of the Scottish squad for the 2022 end-of-year rugby union internationals.[13] In 2023 Ritchie was selected in Scotland's 33 player squad for the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.[14]