Former Scotland captain Jamie Ritchie could make his debut for Glasgow Warriors this weekend. Assistant coach Nigel Carolan stated that the time has come to "let the dog off the lead" for the 30-year-old in Saturday's United Rugby Championship match against Benetton in Treviso.
Ritchie arrived in Scotstoun in the summer on a two-year contract from French side Perpignan, but missed the first months of the season due to ankle and Achilles tendon issues. He underwent surgery during the summer and has now returned to full training.
"He is training at full strength, has been well integrated into our systems and is eager to play," Carolan said. "It would be excellent to include him this week, either in the starting XV or on the bench." Carolan added that having Ritchie in the squad would be positive, particularly ahead of the Scotland Nations Cup, which takes place in a few weeks.
Before moving to Glasgow, Ritchie was a pillar of the Edinburgh side for over a decade, earning 63 caps for Scotland. Carolan highlighted that it was important to get the timing right for his return and that they did not want to rush him. "We could have included him perhaps last week, but that was Ruwald van der Merwe's time," he explained.
The Warriors are second in the URC table after three matches, behind Edinburgh, and will be favourites against Benetton, who are second from the bottom, this weekend. Last season, Glasgow finished at the top of the URC but were eliminated by the Bulls in the play-off semi-finals.
The arrivals of Ritchie and Van der Merwe are part of the evolution of Franca Smith's squad during the summer, which saw third-rower Jack Dempsey leave for Scotland.
