KIRAN McDonald will bring a five-season spell with his hometown team to an end this summer when he leaves Glasgow for Wasps.
The 27-year-old lock, who was called up to the Scotland squad earlier this week, has made nearly 50 appearances for the Warriors since his competitive debut in late 2017.
“I have loved the last five years playing for Glasgow,” McDonald told the Warriors website. “For a local lad, it means a lot to play for your home team and very few get to do that, so to represent the city of Glasgow has been an honour and a privilege. I’ve made some friends for life at this club and always thank Glasgow Warriors for the opportunities I’ve had to pull on the jersey.”
Glasgow coach Danny Wilson is now expected to go into the market to bolster his stock of second rows. He said: “We’re obviously disappointed to see Kiran leave the club, but when he does, we will wish him well. This season he’s played well for us and has earnt his call up to the national squad. When he returns to us from Scotland duty, I’m sure he’ll be as determined as ever to end his time here on a high.”
McDonald was initially an Academy player with Glasgow and turned out for them in a pre-season match against Canada A in 2015. He briefly left Scotstoun to play for Hull in the English Third Division, but rejoined in 2017 and has been a valuable member of the squad ever since.
Meanwhile, Edinburgh have announced that props Angus Williams and Harrison Courtney have both signed new contracts. Williams, a tighthead, has agreed his first full-time deal with Mike Blair’s squad, while Courtney, a loosehead, has put pen to paper on a partnership deal with Watsonians. Both men, who are Scottish qualified, originally moved from their native New Zealand to play for the Myreside club in Super6.
“We’re really happy to retain Angus and Harrison for next season,” Blair said. “They’ve both shown they can perform at this level, while their drive and passion to continually develop their own games has been really impressive. They’re both a great example of players that performed well at FOSROC Super6 level and have then made that step up and transition into professional rugby through hard work and getting game time under their belts.”
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