Tommy Seymour feels right at home after signing Glasgow deal

GLASGOW wing Tommy Seymour has signed a new contract that ties him to the club until summer 2015.

The former Ulster player is Glasgow’s joint-top try scorer this season, crossing the line five times for the RaboDirect Pro12 side.

Seymour boasts a cosmopolitan back story, having been born and raised in the Country & Western capital Nashville, Tennessee before moving to Northern Ireland via a spell in Dubai, where his father was based for work. He qualifies for Scotland through his mother, who was born in Glasgow.

“I said when I joined Glasgow that it was a little like coming home because of the family connection and I’m really settled here,” said Seymour who signed for Glasgow in 2011.

“The way the squad and team are developing is a massive factor in staying on because the players and coaches here do believe that we’re building towards something special.

“It’s an exciting place to be at the moment and even though the results don’t always go your way, we know we’re headed in the right direction.

“I came here to play regular rugby and to get a call-up to the Scotland squad was a real vindication of the hard work though I know, given the talent that is now in the Warriors squad, that I have to keep at it and keep trying to get better.”

Seymour’s contract extension comes ahead of their 1872 Cup double-header against Edinburgh, which starts in Glasgow on Friday night.

A hard-running back with great aerial skills and handling ability, the 24-year-old has become a rock solid performer for the Warriors with the happy knack of finding the try-line.

This season, Seymour recorded back-to-back doubles against Treviso and Dragons to add to a try against his former club Ulster on the opening day of the season. He leads the Warriors’ current try tally table with fellow winger DTH van der Merwe. Fifth-placed Glasgow go into Friday’s match seven points ahead of their rivals but Edinburgh have won their last two league games while Warriors have lost both of theirs after a six-match winning streak.

Seymour said: “The game against Edinburgh this Friday at Scotstoun is massive for us as a club, not just because of the intensity of the rivalry, but for our season and for our position in the league it’s vital we do everything we can to pick up points.”

Meanwhile, former Edinburgh chairman Gavin Hastings believes the festive double-header will be key in determining national selection for the Six Nations.

“On the back of a very disappointing series of internationals, these matches are going to assume huge importance,” former Scotland and Lions captain Hastings told BBC Scotland.

“They will be almost like trial matches.”

“The inter-city clash has been a huge boost to the rugby calendar, the Scottish public has taken to these matches.

“A few years ago Dan Parks completely outplayed his opposite number Phil Godman. And, for me, it was absolutely right that Dan went on to represent Scotland in the Six Nations.

“Whoever plays best in the head-to-heads, that player should be selected and the players will take these games very seriously indeed.

“It’s a bit like way back in the dim and distant past when we always had the national trial early in the New Year and got fantastic crowds.”