'Welcome': Pro D2 club confirms signing of Scotland forward Harley

Record Glasgow appearances holder Rob Harley has secured himself a two-year deal to extend his career in France. It was March 29 when the Scotland forward’s exit from the Warriors at the end of the 2021/22 season was announced and twelve weeks later it has now been confirmed that he will join Carcassonne in the Pro D2.

The French club recently finished fifth on the table, only missing out on promotion in the playoffs, and they have now reinforced their push to do better next term by bringing in the Scottish lock/back row who signed off on his Glasgow career with a start at second row in the recent URC quarter-final hammering at Leinster that led to the sacking of coach Danny Wilson.

A tweet from Carcassone read: “At 1m 98 and 112kg, the 32-year-old second row, Robert Harley, from the Glasgow Warriors and a Scottish international, will bring his experience to the Carcassonnais group for two seasons. Welcome, Robert.”

Harley, who won the most recent of his 23 Scotland caps last October versus Tonga, had represented the Warriors on 260 occasions when it was announced three months ago that he was leaving Scotsoun and he went on to play for the club he joined as a teenager in 2010 seven more times.

“A huge chunk of my life has been with Glasgow Warriors, and it’s been an amazing experience,” said Harley in late March. “There are so many memories: winning the title was hugely special, but it’s hard to pick just one, having played with so many great teams.

“I’ll miss coming in and training with the guys and working really hard. I have enjoyed what we do here and playing for Glasgow. I look back to when I started and when I was in the academy and the crowds and expectations weren’t that high. Now, though, with the facility at Scotstoun we have noisy crowds each week and an energy behind us every time we play.

"I’m looking forward to coming back to Scotstoun one day as a fan and standing with the fans who have been so good with me over the years, cheering the team on from the stands. For now, though, I’m looking forward to finishing my Glasgow career on a high, but also excited about the next step of my playing journey and experiencing something different, wherever that may be.”