GLASGOW Warriors have signed Jarrod Firth, a tighthead prop from New Zealand, on a two-and-a-half-year contract. The 24-year-old has joined the PRO12 champions from Counties Manukau, where he has played for the past three seasons, although he also made two appearances for the Chiefs in Super Rugby last season.
As Firth has no Scottish bloodline, he would have to stay here for longer than the duration of his current deal - which has been signed subject to his receiving a visa - before qualifying to represent the country on the three-year residency rule. He will compete for the No 3 jersey at the Warriors with Zander Fagerson, who should be named today in the Scotland squad for Saturday’s game against England, and Sila Puafisi, the Tongan international. Puafisi only signed a one-year contract when he joined Glasgow last August, but as things stand he is still expected to be part of the team’s plans next season.
Born in Auckland, Firth, who has been here since the weekend, explained that the fact other New Zealanders had done well in Scotland had played a part in his decision to make the move north. “This is a great opportunity for me, and I'm delighted to sign a long-term contract with the Warriors,” he said yesterday. “Everyone I spoke to had great things to say about the club and the city, so I jumped at the chance to get over here.
“Glasgow have had a few Kiwis before and they've always done well, so there is no reason why I can't be successful too. I played against Grayson [Hart, the Warriors scrum-half] in my younger days and it's good to see him doing well here. It's good to get in and meet everyone and I'm here now and ready to go and hopefully I can earn the chance to pull on the jersey.”
That chance could come over the next few weeks, presuming Fagerson remains absent on Scotland duty. “We’ve been tracking Jarrod for some time in the ITM Cup and he’s built a very good reputation as a strong scrummager,” Glasgow coach Gregor Townsend said. “We're looking forward to seeing him involved with us this week.
“Initially he’ll be working with our conditioning staff as we start to get him integrated into the rugby we aspire to play. Jarrod has made a big commitment in coming to Scotland and we believe he’ll fit in really well at Scotstoun and add further competition in our front row.”
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