Warriors confirm that 10 players are heading for the exit at Scotstoun

Glasgow Warriors have confirmed the 10 players who will be leaving the club at the end of this season, an exodus that includes four Scotland internationals. Alex Dunbar and Kevin Bryce will depart Scotstoun at the conclusion of the current campaign, the pair joining Stuart Hogg and Jamie Bhatti in moving on to pastures new.

Hogg, whose move south to join Exeter was confirmed earlier this season, will leave the club after eight years, scoring 30 tries in over a century of appearances with the Warriors. The 67-times capped Scotland full-back and two-time British and Irish Lion has been a key component in the most successful spell in Glasgow’s history, helping the club to an inaugural Guinness PRO12 title in 2014/15 in addition to a brace of European quarter-finals.

Fellow centurion Dunbar will also be moving on at the end of the season, following 119 caps in a decade-long career at Scotstoun. The 28-year-old, currently on loan at Newcastle Falcons, was a fixture in the Warriors midfield during his time at the club, with his brand of hard-running rugby making him a threat to defences throughout the league.

Loosehead prop Bhatti will make the journey along the M8 at the end of the current campaign, with the 25-year-old set to join Edinburgh next season. The former Stirling County and Melrose man made his first appearance for the Warriors in a 63-0 pre-season win over Canada A at Bridgehaugh, going on to make his Scotland debut in the victory over Samoa in November 2017.

Bryce, who has earned three caps for his country, has made 25 appearances over two spells at the club, having re-joined the Warriors in the summer of 2018. A former recipient of the Macphail Scholarship, the hooker was part of the Scotland squad for the 2015 Rugby World Cup, making one appearance in the group stage win over the USA.

Two more hookers will join Bryce in leaving the club at the end of the season, with the departures of Robbie Smith and James Malcolm having already been confirmed. Scottish Rugby academy stage three player Smith, who made his debut in the 9-3 win over the Ospreys in January, will join Bedford Blues ahead of the 2019/20 campaign.

He will come up against Malcolm in next season’s English Championship, with the 24-year-old having signed with London Scottish for next season. Malcolm will join up with Lewis Wynne at the Richmond Athletic Ground, after the back row’s loan switch to London Scottish was made permanent last month.

Finally, New Zealand winger Lelia Masaga will depart Scotstoun at the end of the season, bringing an end to a two-year stint with the Warriors. The 32-year-old has made eight appearances for Dave Rennie’s side, scoring his sole try for the club in last season’s victory over Zebre at Scotstoun.

Second row duo Brian Alainu’uese and Greg Peterson both left the club during the 2018/19 campaign, joining Toulon and Bordeaux-Begles respectively.

Glasgow boss Dave Rennie, said: “It says a lot about the club that so many players are staying but as is always the case in sport, people sometimes need new experiences and challenges. Stuart Hogg and Alex Dunbar especially, they have both played over 100 games and given a decade of service to Glasgow Warriors and have played a huge part in helping the club get to where it is today.

“Everyone leaves with our blessing and best wishes for the future and we look forward to spending the next few weeks together as a group and can hopefully make some special memories together. We’re desperate to give the men who won’t be here next year a send-off appropriate to what they’ve given to this club in the remaining games of the season.”

Glasgow Warriors Leavers 2018/19

Brian Alainu’uese – 22 Glasgow appearances

Jamie Bhatti – 13 Scotland caps, 44 Glasgow appearances

Kevin Bryce – 3 Scotland caps, 25 Glasgow appearances, 1 try

Alex Dunbar – 31 Scotland caps, 119 Glasgow appearances, 15 tries

Stuart Hogg – 7 British and Irish Lions appearances, 67 Scotland caps, 118 Glasgow appearances, 220 points, 30 tries

James Malcolm – 25 Glasgow appearances, 3 tries

Lelia Masaga – 8 Glasgow appearances, 1 try

Greg Peterson – 31 Glasgow appearances, 3 tries

Robbie Smith – 1 Glasgow appearance

Lewis Wynne – 18 Glasgow appearances

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