Chris Cusiter believes that Glasgow are going places.
Which, in a nutshell, explains why he is going nowhere.
Yesterday, having put pen to paper on the deal that will keep him at the Warriors for the next three years, the scrum-half explained that his belief in the potential of the club he joined from Perpignan in 2009 had been strong enough to persuade him to throw in his lot with the side and effectively see out his career in Scotland.
Cusiter will be just a few weeks short of his 33rd birthday when the contract he has just signed reaches its end in May 2015. To come to such a lengthy arrangement represents a considerable gesture of faith on his part as well as the Scottish Rugby Union. Cusiter could presumably have negotiated a shorter extension to his current deal, then moved on if things weren’t working out.
However, after a disappointing World Cup, where he made a couple of cameo appearances, the 55-time-capped player explained that he still has “unfinished business” as far as international rugby is concerned. He indicated that changes behind the scenes in the running of the Scottish game had convinced him that things were looking up.
“I made my decision last week,” said Cusiter. “It was based on a lot of factors. One thing that helped is that I’ve really enjoyed it here since I’ve been back. “I like Scotstoun, the players and the coaching staff. Until Sunday [when Glasgow lost heavily to Leinster in the Heineken Cup] we had been on a good run, and that also played a big part in my thinking.”
Cusiter said he had held face-to-face talks with the Glasgow coach Sean Lineen, the SRU performance director Graham Lowe, the national coach Andy Robinson and the new chief executive Mark Dodson. As Dodson is the man holding the purse strings, his contribution may well have been the most telling.
“I sat down with Mark and he asked me to trust him, and I do,” Cusiter said. “Since he came in, everything has been positive and backed up by action, such as Glasgow signing [Samoan international wing] David Lemi. I know they tried hard to keep Richie Gray, as well. It’s a positive step to try to sign players early, which hasn’t happened in the past.”
Gray’s departure might have weakened Glasgow, but it also strengthened Cusiter’s bargaining position. To lose one marquee name might be unfortunate, but losing two would have been seen as carelessness by the Warriors fans whose custom will determine the success of the move to Scotstoun next season.
The offer turned down by Gray is thought to have been in the region of £300,000. The offer accepted by Cusiter is unlikely to have been far short of that.
“You trust Chris to make the right decision,” said Lineen. “And it’s a fantastic decision for Glasgow and Scotland. With my Warriors hat on, I’m delighted. He’s a top lad, really good to work with, a total professional. It’s a signal of intent for us.”
Lineen refused to speculate on whether Cusiter’s decision to stay made it more likely that John Barclay, whose current contract also expires at the end of the season, will remain at the club. However, he did admit that he was talking to a number of players, and hinted that more could come in from overseas in the months ahead.
“Chris’s decision says something to other players, and players around the world, that Glasgow are moving forward. He’s a well-known face and an outstanding player. We haven’t finished signing yet.”
Scotland considerations, and the fact he has a number of non-rugby interests in the country, will also have counted in favour of Cusiter staying put when he sat down to consider his options.
“Talking to Andy was important,” Cusiter confirmed. “I was frustrated with the World Cup; it didn’t work out as I had hoped after a long rehab. But you have to move on and get past these things. I believe there’s good days ahead for Scotland and I want to be involved in that. I had a positive discussion with Andy, and that was a big part in my thinking. After the World Cup, I’m more determined than ever to get back into the [Scotland] shirt.”
Cusiter was a Lions tourist to New Zealand in 2005 and was considered unlucky not to make the Test side. Over the next few years, Mike Blair was the preferred scrum-half of the former Scotland coach Frank Hadden, and Cusiter was not in the reckoning for the 2009 series in South Africa. The Lions will be back in Australia in 2013, and Cusiter admits that the tour is already on his horizon.
“I’d love to go with the Lions,” he said. “But things have to fall into place and you need a bit of luck in terms of your Six Nations form, fitness and avoiding injuries.
“But it’s certainly in the back of my mind but I feel I have a lot of ground to make up between now and then. Playing well for Glasgow and Scotland would help.”
interview Glasgow scrum-half says he had no hesitation in signing new contract
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