Copyright scotsman
It’s been a tough start to life in France for Jamie Ritchie but Gregor Townsend is hoping that returning to the Scotland squad will give the forward a lift ahead of the autumn Test series. Ritchie, 29, moved from Edinburgh to Perpignan in the summer and his introduction to the Top 14 has provided the flanker with the most searching of examinations. Saturday’s 29-22 away loss to Montauban was the Catalan side’s eighth defeat in a row and they remain rooted to the bottom of the table. Having spent his whole professional career with Edinburgh, Ritchie has taken himself out of his comfort zone by moving to France and it is the player’s misfortune that he has joined Perpignan at a particularly volatile time. Crowd unrest marred their home game against Racing 92 last month. After a scuffle broke out between players beer was thrown at them from the terraces and one supporter even got onto the pitch. And it isn’t the first time that emotions have spilled over at Perpignan. A photograph emerged last season of a fan giving Matthieu Jalibert the finger during the match against Bordeaux and there was also supporter ructions during the play-off game against Grenoble in June. The latest transgression saw Perpignan hit with a €50,000 fine and they were also ordered to play one home match away from the Stade Aime Giral. A bad run of results and tempestuous fanbase can make for a toxic combination and the club sacked two of their assistant coaches earlier this month in a bid to kick-start their Top 14 campaign. David Marty and Gérald Bastide were the fall guys, being shown the door after the fifth straight loss of the season, at home to Stade Francais. Despite the upheaval, Ritchie has been showing his mettle. He missed the first couple of games as he recovered from a foot injury he picked up during Scotland’s defeat by Fiji on the summer tour, but has played every match since and was recently awarded the captaincy. Townsend, who himself experienced some difficult times as a player in France, can empathise with Ritchie and thinks he will enjoy being back among familiar faces when he links up with the Scotland squad for the November Tests. “It’s definitely tough for him when the team’s lost and the assistant coaches were let go last week, too,” said the Scotland coach. “But Jamie’s playing well and they think Jamie’s been going great as well. They made him captain last weekend [against Bordeaux]. So being captain after five or six games in France, and being involved in calling the lineout, shows a lot about him as a person and how quickly he’s adapted. In tough circumstances he’s standing up and the coaches and players have respected him.” Ritchie won’t be involved in Scotland’s first autumn Test against the USA on Saturday because the game falls outside the designated international window and Townsend will select a team composed of players from Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors only. But he will be in the frame for the big one against New Zealand the following week and the subsequent matches with Argentina and Tonga. “It'll be difficult for Jamie now, being in France and having to come back, having been in Edinburgh all his career,” added Townsend, referring to the extra travel involved. “He’ll have to adjust to that but in terms of how he’s playing, we’ve been happy with his form.” Townsend, who played in France for Brive, Castres and Montpellier, had first-hand experience of playing away at Perpignan and knows their supporters can be hard to please. But he believes it can help Ritchie add “another layer of experience and toughness”. “I always thought the Perpignan crowd was the toughest atmosphere, as an away team,” said Townsend. “But if you’re not winning, it can become a very tough atmosphere for the home team. I’m sure he’ll be looking forward to coming back for a number of reasons, mostly coming back home and being with [Scotland] team-mates. But sometimes when things aren’t going well at your club as a team, it’s a good balance to come into an international environment.” Ritchie is one of four French-based players in Townsend’s autumn squad, the others being Blair Kinghorn, Ben White and Alex Masibaka. Kinghorn and White are likely to be up against each other on Sunday evening when Toulouse host Toulon in the Top 14’s game of the weekend.
