It's unlikely that RNA replicases ever existed in the absence of short amino acid polymers. The primordial ribosome might be the concept your looking for - an

It's unlikely that RNA replicases ever existed in the absence of short amino acid polymers. The primordial ribosome might be the concept your looking for - an association between short RNA sequences and short amino acid sequences capable of self-replication via various RNA reactions and amino-catalyzed reactions. This may be the original article discussing this hypothesis: "The ribosome as a missing link in the evolution of life" (2015) Root-Bernstein & Root-Bernstein, J. Theoretical Biology https://sci-hub.se/10.1016/j.jtbi.2014.11.025 https://sci-hub.se/10.1016/j.jtbi.2014.11.025 > "Evolvable entities existing between self-replicating polymers and fully functional cells would presumably have many, though not all, of the functions of a cell, yet be significantly simpler in composition and organization. These entities would be able to self-organize and replicate themselves; store information and replicate that information; translate the information into the components necessary to produce their functional structures; capture metabolic components and energy; and transform these into useful biochemical networks. Norris and his colleagues have called functional forms of organization midway between macromolecules and cells “hyperstructures” (Norris et al., 2007). Such hyperstructures had to be instantiated as evolvable entities, meaning that their components would be subject to variation, replication and natural selection."