Moray Low commits to a further two years at the Warriors

SCOTLAND prop Moray Low has added to the re-signing frenzy at the Scottish professional teams by agreeing a two-year extension to his contract and becoming the 16th player to agree new terms at Glasgow.

Low adds to the growing strength in the front row at the Warriors and, having been out injured since January, he returns to the squad tonight for the RaboDirect PRO12 match with Italians Aironi.

“I’m really pleased to have signed for another two years at Glasgow Warriors,” said Low. “I’ve had six great years here and the club is in my blood now.

“I’m really excited about what the future holds – the strength in depth and quality of our squad is improving all the time, we’re moving to a new stadium and our crowds are getting bigger. It’s those sorts of things that really get a player’s juices flowing, and made it a straightforward decision for me as to where I want to be going forward.”

Low insisted that, while he had signed before news broke of Sean Lineen being replaced by Gregor Townsend as head coach, he was happy with the new appointment having worked with Townsend in the Scotland camp.

Lineen is confident that Low will push back into Test contention and add to his 15 caps, but admitted he was pleased to see him having to work simply to get into the Glasgow squad.

“This might sound funny coming from an old centre,” he said, “but one of the big pluses of the season has been seeing all six props coming together and really driving each other forward. That has been the number one contribution I’d say – none of them taking a step back and showing real steel there.

“There is no doubt that there has been a step-up in the quality and strength in depth of the front rows coming through at Glasgow, and that will benefit Scotland.

“Ryan has been a really solid performer all season and is one of the unsung heroes. He has had injury niggles and has seen Jon Welsh make the step-up to Scotland and do well, and Ryan has it in him to do that as well. Then there’s Ed Kalman, who’s been capped this year, and Gordon Reid, who has come through and a really refreshing attitude; he just loves the game.

“Obviously, Muzza [Low] is back and is coming into a really strong group of props really fighting for places now, along with Mike Cusack, who is back on the scene again and has the potential [to play for Scotland] definitely. That scrummaging machine took a pasting during the week.”

He has left out internationalists including Welsh, who made his Scotland debut in Rome last weekend, to provide an extra week’s rest, and is confident that the battle of Rome that left many Scots depressed on Saturday night will not affect Glasgow’s bid to step-up their title challenge against Italian opponents at Firhill tonight.

The Warriors have had two weeks off since claiming a stirring first win against the Ospreys in Swansea to keep themselves in the top four play-off spots. They have lost just once in their last 13 league games, away to the Scarlets in January – their only home defeat was to Leinster – and beat Aironi 18-6 in Viadana in November.

With none of the players who suffered the Six Nations defeat in Rome involved this weekend, the coach insisted that game would not affect his side’s psyche. But he accepted that it may play a part in that of Aironi’s.

He said: “I don’t think it will affect the Glasgow boys at all. It may give the Aironi boys a bit of a lift, because it is big for Italian rugby, and they will be coming to Glasgow probably with a little spring in their step from that result, but it won’t affect our team at all.

“Training has been good in the past two weeks but you can sense that they need a game. The attitude has never wavered and it’s been fantastic to see the determination etched on their faces during the week. They know what this game is all about. These players will deliver. I’ve no doubt about that.”

The inspiration that Aironi might draw from Saturday’s result in Rome will be clear in the battle of the hookers, where Dougie Hall takes on the captaincy for the first time for Glasgow in opposition to Fabio Ongaro, the hooker who emerged triumphant in what was his last international appearance at the Stadio Olimpico at the weekend.

Aironi, who beat Munster in their last game and head to Glasgow seeking their first away win, also have Giulio Toniolatti from the Italy squad and Italy replacements Josh Furno and Simone Favaro starting on the bench primed no doubt for a sizeable impact in the second half, which only fuels the belief that this game will be in the melting pot close to the end.

Lineen restores Tommy Seymour to the wing in place of the injured Colin Shaw, Duncan Weir returns at stand-off and Cusack and Nick Campbell are back in the front five.