FAN Q&A | Jamie Ritchie

Did you always want to be a rugby player?

I played a few sports when I was young – cricket and judo – but rugby was always the one that stood out as something I never wanted to stop doing.

Did you enjoy playing age grade rugby?

I went to my first U20 World Cup in New Zealand while I was still at school and that was a huge honour. Seeing the guys I played against make the step up to international rugby, it makes you believe that you can do the same.

When it came to choosing which pro club to sign for, why did you choose Edinburgh?

It was a really tough decision, because when I’d been coming up through the age grades I’d always played for the Glasgow side of things. When I was offered a full-time contract with Edinburgh it seemed like the better option; I thought I’d maybe get to play more. It’s the decision I made and I’ve never looked back.

What did it feel like to make your debut for Scotland last year?

It was awesome. I generally don’t get hugely nervous leading up to a game, but I remember being nervous that whole day. After the game was finished, I didn’t want the day to end, I didn’t even want to walk off the pitch because we won so well.

What other players have you learned from?

When I first joined Edinburgh, Mike Coman, who was captain at the time, was really good to me. We had guys like Roddy Grant who helped me and still helps me a lot to this day. I watch what Hamish (Watson) does and try and emulate a lot of the stuff he does at the breakdown and John Hardie was really good to me when he was at Edinburgh as well.

What are your expectations for the Guinness Six Nations?

I think it’s going to be a huge step up. The Six Nations, barring the World Cup, is probably the biggest rugby competition in the world. It’s something that all six teams target and every side will put their best team out to win the game where they can. It’s a huge challenge and something I’m really excited about.