Jamie Ritchie fit and ready to lead Scotland into World Cup

LEADING FROM THE FRONT: Scotland's captain Jamie Ritchie. Pic: PA

Jamie Ritchie has declared himself fit and ready to lead Scotland into the Rugby World Cup after shaking off his recent calf issue.

The captain sat out the previous two warm-up matches at home to Italy and France as a precaution after what he described as "a little niggle" but he returns to the starting XV for this Saturday night's rematch with Les Bleus in the heat of Saint-Etienne.

Ritchie is raring to go ahead of his first outing since playing for Edinburgh in a United Rugby Championship match away to Ulster almost four months ago.

"I feel like I've had a good pre-season and I'm feeling good, really excited to get back playing," he said at the captain's run press conference at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard on Friday.

"I've been sad to miss out the last couple of weeks because I was looking forward to getting a run out at Murrayfield but I have had to wait until this week so I'm really excited to get going."

Ritchie insists there was never any fear that the injury would cause him any major problems ahead of the World Cup, which gets under way in France in four weeks' time.

"No, not really," he said when asked if he was worried about being fit in time. "It was just a little niggle I picked up in the week of the Italy match.

"It was probably touch and go for the home game against France, we were just erring on the side of caution. I was always going to be good to go for this week."

Head coach Gregor Townsend said on Thursday that Ritchie is "probably in the best shape I've seen him in the last few years".

"That's kind of him," smiled the captain when asked if he agreed with Townsend.

"I got more or less a full pre-season in last year post-injury but the start of that was probably inhibited by the fact I'd been out for eight months so this is the first full pre-season I've had off the back of a full season of playing.

"I'm feeling in good shape and looking forward to getting going."