Emotional Ritchie pays tribute to Doddie Weir after historic Scotland win
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Jamie Ritchie was full of emotion after lifting the Doddie Weir Cup, as Scotland paid a special tribute to the former lock in their first home match since he passed away.
Ritchie captained Scotland to their biggest-ever points victory over Wales, surpassing a 35-10 scoreline from 1924, to regain the trophy they last won in 2020.
The cup is named after Weir, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2016, and has been awarded to the winner of each Scotland v Wales match since 2018.
Weir passed away in November, making this the first time the Doddie Weir Cup has been awarded without him, and Weir’s sons – Hamish, Angus and Ben – were at BT Murrayfield to present the trophy.
And Ritchie was clearly moved after leading Scotland to the historic win.
Ritchie said: “It was the first game at BT Murrayfield without him, we miss him so much and I’m so glad we’ve got our hands on the trophy.
“We are so delighted, I’m a bit emotional, I’m glad I could do this for Kathy and the boys.
"We miss him so much. I'm glad we have our hands on this."
— Guinness Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) February 11, 2023
Today's result for @Scotlandteam went far beyond just winning a game of rugby 🏴@Jamie_T_Ritchie | #SCOvWAL pic.twitter.com/bmxLaXh3l8
“We have the belief that if we play to our best, we can beat any team.
“It wasn’t perfect, we’ve got a lot more in us, so we are looking to improve when we go to Paris.”
Scotland took a 13-0 lead thanks to two Russell penalties and a converted George Turner try but struck back with a score from captain Ken Owens.
However, Gregor Townsend’s side burst into life after the break.
Kyle Steyn crossed twice in seven second-half minutes before Blair Kinghorn’s superb score and Matt Fagerson’s late try wrapped up the win for the hosts.
Warren Gatland’s Wales will take on England at Principality Stadium in Round 3.
Scotland will now face their biggest test of the 2023 Guinness Six Nations so far when they travel to Stade de France in two weeks.
Ritchie added: “I could not ask for more from the crowd, they were absolutely awesome today.
“It was not perfect, but we did enough to get the job done, and I’m delighted to be holding Doddie’s trophy.”
