Scotland back-rower Jamie Ritchie says he is at peace with missing out on a spot in the British and Irish Lions squad, believing he did everything he could to give himself a genuine chance of selection. The 28-year-old Edinburgh player expressed disappointment at not being picked for Andy Farrell’s summer tour of Australia, especially after making a strong recovery this season following a challenging start to 2024, which included losing the Scotland captaincy.
In his first comments since being left out of the Lions squad three weeks ago, Ritchie told the BBC’s Scotland Rugby Podcast: “I honestly feel like I gave everything in terms of my performances, so I was at peace with that.”
“At the end of the day, it’s all about someone else’s opinion and choices regarding what they need in their squad. Once that decision is made, it’s out of my hands. Looking back at 2021, I felt further off a spot than I did this year, but I was more disappointed back then.”
“At the end of the day, it’s all about someone else’s opinion and choices regarding what they need in their squad. Once that decision is made, it’s out of my hands. Looking back at 2021, I felt further off a spot than I did this year, but I was more disappointed back then.”
“I’m definitely more mature now in how I handle these things. Of course, it would have been great to have that moment, but I’m at peace with the performances I put in to be in the conversation. I told my wife, who was pretty upset when we watched the announcement together, that if you look at where we were a year ago after the Six Nations—when things didn’t go as I’d hoped, missing out on selection and the captaincy, and unsure about whether I’d even make the summer tour—it’s a completely different place now.”
“That’s the mindset I’m adopting right now. I feel like I gave it my all. The call didn’t come, and that’s fine.”
Standby Possibility
When asked if he’d been told he might be on a standby list, Ritchie replied: “I had a conversation with JD (Lions and Scotland coach John Dalziel) afterwards about some of the thinking behind the selection process.”
“I haven’t been told anything official, but I’m focusing on staying in shape and performing well for Edinburgh.”
Scotland co-captain Rory Darge shared Ritchie’s philosophical outlook on missing out on the Lions squad. The 25-year-old Glasgow flanker is determined to use the disappointment as motivation to push for selection in the future.
