Ex-Howe of Fife flanker Jamie Ritchie challenged to up his game after losing Scotland captaincy

Head coach Gregor Townsend says he’s confident Ritchie, 27, will continue to react positively to losing his captaincy role to Finn Russell and Rory Darge and concentrate on earning selection for the Scots’ Six Nations opener away to Wales in Cardiff on Saturday, February 3.

The Edinburgh player took over from Stuart Hogg as skipper for Scotland’s 2022 autumn tests and carried on for last year’s Six Nations and Rugby World Cup in France, but Townsend announced on Sunday that Bath stand-off Russell and Glasgow Warriors flanker Darge will take over as co-captains for the upcoming championship.

“He’s reacted really well,” said the 50-year-old at a press conference in Dublin on Monday.

“I’ve been in communication for a few weeks now around his game and also the captaincy.

“He was well aware that we were going to leave this decision until the weekend.

“The focus for him is about getting into the team that play Wales and he’s really determined to do that.

“That will be tough because the competition we have in the back-row right now is at a high level.

“We’re all optimistic that this will bring out the best in Jamie and he can be one of our best players, back at his top level.

“We saw on Friday night when he came off the bench against Scarlets. There was a real hunger and intent about how he went through his game.

“The competition in the back-row and the ability to just focus on that at training should be a positive for him leading into the Wales game.

“He can be one of our best players but he is competing with some guys who are in really good form at openside and blindside.

“Jamie will be a key leader for us if he's in the 23 or the XV.”

Ritchie, also previously at St Andrews’ Madras club, is one of three ex-Howe players in the Scots’ 39-man squad for the Six Nations, along with Warriors team-mates George Horne and Matt Fagerson, at scrum-half and No 8 respectively.