Glasgow Warriors confident they can keep in-demand Huw Jones but Sione Tuipulotu could miss Scotland run-in

Montpellier are keen on landing centre – but Warriors have high hopes they can keep him

Glasgow Warriors insist they are ‘very confident’ of holding on to Huw Jones despite reports linking him with a summer move to Montpellier.

The Scotland centre has been in sparkling form for both club and country, setting up two of Duhan van der Merwe’s three tries against England on Saturday. Jones came close to moving to France in 2021 only for that to fall through when Bayonne were relegated. Reports out of that country now claim that Montpellier could conclude a move for the 30-year-old in the coming days but Warriors attack coach Nigel Carolan remains bullish that Jones could yet extend his stay at Scotstoun.

Asked if he was resigned to losing the player at the end of the season, Carolan said: “Absolutely not. Huw is very happy here and you can see that in the way he’s playing, not just for Glasgow but also for Scotland. He’s on fire and we’re very happy with how he’s tracking along. As far as I’m aware negotiations are going very well with him. Huw is playing some great rugby and we’re very confident he’ll be looking forward to another couple of years with Glasgow. He’s in the form of his life and he and Sione [Tuipulotu] have formed a tremendous partnership both for us and for Scotland. Rumours are always going to be rife at this time of year so we don’t pay too much attention to that. We’re just continuing to work with Huw to try to ensure that we can do everything possible for him to stay. Talks are ongoing.”

Scotland and Glasgow Warriors centre Huw Jones is in demand.

Jones’ centre partnership with Tuipulotu looks like being temporarily severed regardless, with the Australian-born player set to miss the rest of the Six Nations with the knee injury that forced him off against England. Carolan added: “He came in yesterday and was in a knee brace so we’re just waiting for the results of his scan. The fact it happened early in the game and he played for 40 minutes suggests it might not be too bad, perhaps similar to Rory Darge when he hurt his knee. I don’t think it’s as bad as first feared and hopefully we’ll have Sione back for the not-too-distant future. Whether he makes it back in the next couple of weeks – probably not. I’d say he could be four or five weeks away. I’d say [definitely not] for Italy and an outside chance for Ireland.”