Arabic version: جيمي ريتشي يستعد لخوض مباراته الأولى مع غلاسكو ووريورز

According to BBC News, Glasgow Warriors assistant coach Nigel Carolan says former Scotland captain Jamie Ritchie is expected to make his debut in Saturday’s United Rugby Championship match against Benetton in Treviso. Ritchie, 30, joined Glasgow from French club Perpignan in the summer but has missed the opening months of the season with ankle and Achilles tendon issues.

The flanker is back in full training after his recovery and could either start or be named on the bench. Carolan said Ritchie had integrated well into Glasgow’s systems and was eager to play. The coach also said Ritchie’s involvement would be positive ahead of Scotland’s Nations Cup in a couple of weeks.

Ritchie spent 11 years with Edinburgh after joining straight from school, becoming a key figure for Glasgow’s rivals before his move to the French Top 14. He has won 63 Scotland caps and has signed a two-year deal at Scotstoun. Carolan said the club had been careful not to rush the player following surgery over the summer and his move to a new team.

Glasgow considered involving Ritchie the previous week, but Carolan said that opportunity belonged to Ruwald van der Merwe. The coach said the time had now come to bring Ritchie into a Glasgow Warriors shirt. Ritchie and Van der Merwe arrived as part of changes to Franco Smith’s squad after Scotland back row Jack Dempsey departed in the summer.

The Warriors are second in the URC table after three matches, behind Edinburgh, and will face second-bottom Benetton. Glasgow finished top of the URC last season but were eliminated in the play-off semi-finals by the Bulls.