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Edinburgh confirm Jamie Ritchie exit and his new club

Jamie Ritchie of Edinburgh during the United Rugby Championship match between Ulster and Edinburgh at Kingspan Stadium in Belfast. (Photo By Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Former Scotland captain Jamie Ritchie will leave Edinburgh Rugby to sign for Perpignan it has been confirmed this morning.

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He will join the French club next season following the end of his Edinburgh contract. It will bring to an end 11 seasons at the club.

Ritchie was educated at Strathallan School after being awarded a Judo Scholarship when he was at U13s level before he fell in love with rugby under the guidance of DoR Andy Henderson. He signed on with Edinburgh at just 17.

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Now 28, the back-row made his senior debut in 2014 and has spent his entire professional career with the Scottish capital side, reaching the 100-cap mark last season to become the team’s 40th centurion.

Ritchie told the club website: “I have literally grown up at this club over the last 10 years and this has been an incredibly hard decision for me and my family to move on. I have absolutely loved my time here and I am extremely grateful to everyone who has been a part of that journey, this club means so much to me.

“I just feel that now is the time for a new challenge in a new country and for us as a family to experience a completely different lifestyle. As always I will be fully committed to the team until the end of the season.”

A product of Howe of Fife RFC, Ritchie further underlined his leadership credentials by co-captaining the side alongside Grant Gilchrist during the 2022/23 campaign.

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Head Coach Sean Everitt added: “We have tried our best to keep Jamie at the club but we must respect his personal decision. We wish him the very best in this move to Perpignan. He has spent 10 great years at the club. He joined us as a schoolboy and leaves as a proud centurion.

“There is still a lot of rugby to be played until the end of the season and we know Jamie will give his all every time he pulls on the Edinburgh jersey.”

Perpignan are currently 11th in the Top 14.

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c
cw 8 hours ago
The coaching conundrum part one: Is there a crisis Down Under?

Thanks JW for clarifying your point and totally agree. The ABs are still trying to find their mojo” - that spark of power that binds and defines them. Man the Boks certainly found theirs in Wellington! But I think it cannot be far off for ABs - my comment about two coaches was a bit glib. The key point for me is that they need first a coach or coaches that can unlock that power and for me that starts at getting the set piece right and especially the scrum and second a coach that can simplify the game plans. I am fortified in this view by NBs comment that most of the ABs tries come from the scrum or lineout - this is the structured power game we have been seeing all year. But it cannot work while the scrum is backpeddling. That has to be fixed ASAP if Robertson is going to stick to this formula. I also think it is too late in the cycle to reverse course and revert to a game based on speed and continuity. The second is just as important - keep it simple! Complex movements that require 196 cm 144 kg props to run around like 95kg flankers is never going to work over a sustained period. The 2024 Blues showed what a powerful yet simple formula can do. The 2025 Blues, with Beauden at 10 tried to be more expansive / complicated - and struggled for most of the season.

I also think that the split bench needs to reflect the game they “want” to play not follow some rote formula. For example the ABs impact bench has the biggest front row in the World with two props 195cm / 140 kg plus. But that bulk cannot succeed without the right power based second row (7, 4, 5, 6). That bulk becomes a disadvantage if they don’t have a rock solid base behind them - as both Boks showed at Eden Park and the English in London. Fresh powerful legs need to come on with them - thats why we need a 6-2 bench. And teams with this split can have players focused only on 40 minutes max of super high intensity play. Hence Robertson needs to design his team to accord with these basic physics.



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