As Jamie Ritchie did the rounds of the Murrayfield media room on Friday, shaking hands with writers and broadcasters while sporting a grin as big as the stadium's famous in-goal area, it was easy to see why his appointment as Scotland captain has been met with almost universal approval.

Quite a statement from Gilchrist, a man who has led his country on several occasions and might himself have been a credible candidate for the role once Gregor Townsend decided to relieve Stuart Hogg of his duties. But Gilchrist could not have been clearer - Townsend has appointed the right man.

"It's quite surreal. It's hard to put into words," Ritchie said of being handed the captaincy ahead of the matches against Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and Argentina.

"It's a huge honour for me and my family. They are hugely proud of me and I'm really excited about the opportunity to take it forward."

Taking Scotland forward is the big challenge this autumn, with the distinct sense that the team has stalled in 2022.

A disappointing Six Nations and a series defeat in Argentina - not to mention the off-field dramas that have engulfed the squad in recent times - has left the impression of a team drifting towards next year's World Cup rather than building up steam.

A serious hamstring injury suffered in the Six Nations victory over England in round one forced Ritchie out of the rest of the championship and the summer tour. Now that he's back leading the team in Saturday's opener against Australia, he wants Scotland to rediscover the winning habit.

"There will be swings in the game where there will be moments when we're not on top, but it is about how we get that back," he said.

"I'm confident that we as a team will fight to get those moments back. If we win more of those moments then hopefully we will come out on the right side of the result."

As well as the endorsement of Townsend, Gilchrist and others, Ritchie crucially has the support of his predecessor as captain.

"I've a huge amount of respect for Hoggy as a man and a rugby player," said Ritchie. "He was one of the first guys to congratulate me. He sent a nice message to say he backed me. It meant a lot.

"He's a hugely passionate Scotsman and playing for Scotland means the world to him. The way he used the group around him - there were days when he wouldn't speak a lot, he would use the leaders around him - and I plan to take that on as well.

"The most important thing for me is just be myself. I've been lucky to play for Scotland for the past few years and I'm confident I can continue the form I've shown. I feel consistency is a strength of mine."

Dempsey with a point to prove?

Ritchie will hope to extend Scotland's three-match winning streak over Australia, the last contest coming 12 months ago at Murrayfield.

That defeat was a sore one for Dave Rennie on his first return to Scotland since leaving Glasgow Warriors to take over the Wallabies. A year on he is still ruing the chances his team let slip that day.

Rennie and Townsend are cut from the same cloth in terms of their outlook on the game. They want their teams to play high-tempo, attacking rugby with ball in hand. At least that's the aim.

Their national team reigns carry many of the same hallmarks too. Some thrilling victories undermined by a crippling inconsistency.

Rennie has masterminded victories over the All Blacks and South Africa (twice) and delivered a series victory over France, but 2022 has been a challenge. The Wallabies have won just three of their nine Tests this year.

That is not too dissimilar to Scotland's record of three wins from eight, but Rennie insists that does not tell the full story.

"They took a pretty young side away to Argentina," Rennie said. "Looking back at Six Nations they had a good win against England and they lost to France and Ireland, the top two sides in the world.

"We've got a huge amount of respect for them and we are well aware of the threat they can bring.

"There's no shortage of talent coming through considering there's just two contributing clubs. That's always been the amazing thing.

"Historically they've always recruited pretty well. There's a fair few Aussies and South Africans wearing Scottish colours nowadays that's helped them create a lot of depth."

One of those Aussies in Scottish colours will be Jack Dempsey, the 14-cap former Wallaby set to make his debut off the bench against his homeland.

"We always felt he lacked a little bit of physicality," was Rennie's explanation for allowing Dempsey to drift away from the Australia set-up and into the waiting arms of Scotland.

It would be no surprise if those words were whispered in Dempsey's ear just before he runs on to the Murrayfield pitch to make his Scotland bow against the country whose colours he used to wear.