Glasgow Warriors sign promising prop Murphy Walker on his first pro contract

Promising tighthead prop Murphy Walker has signed his first professional contract with Glasgow Warriors.

Tighthead prop Murphy Walker has signed his first pro deal with Glasgow Warriors. (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group)

The 22-year-old made his Warriors debut off the bench in a 35-24 victory over Cell C Sharks in the United Rugby Championship at Scotstoun in October. He has also played in Super6 for Stirling County this season.

A product of Dundee Eagles, Walker captained Strathallan School to victory in the 2017-18 Schools Cup final over Glenalmond College.

Walker is the nephew of 1990 Grand Slam hero and former Glasgow Warriors and Scotland U20 coach Sean Lineen, and represented his country at the 2018 and 2019 World Rugby U20 Championship.

The prop said he hoped to continue to learn from experienced front-row team-mates Zander Fagerson, Oli Kebble and Fraser Brown at Scotstoun.

“I’m delighted to sign my first pro deal with the club,” Walker told the Glasgow Warriors website. “It’s been such a big thing I’ve aimed towards these last 18 months. I’ve had some obstacles to overcome with my hamstring injury and for me to achieve this goal it’s been unbelievable.

“I’m proud to get the chance to continue to play for this club and to represent my family and my little village of Longforgan.

“My parents have been behind me since day one. My dad took me to Dundee Eagles when I was a wee kid just to have fun. I never expected to be here and to be making a career out of playing rugby.

“We have a great group of guys here at the club who are always driving each other forward. Zander and Oli have been massive for my progress at scrum time and Fraser worked with me a lot while I was injured on my skills and set-piece. Having guys like that to learn from is amazing.”

Glasgow coach Danny Wilson added: “His attitude and willingness to put in the hard work on and off the field has been first-rate and he’s earned his opportunity this season. His drive to be a Warrior is clear for all to see.

“He’s hungry to learn from guys in his position like Zander, Simon [Berghan] and Enrique [Pieretto] who have a lot of experience and international quality, and we believe he’s going to go from strength to strength for us.”

Don't miss out on a 30 per cent discount on an annual sports subscription. We have a special offer throughout January where you can get a reduced package. Visit https://www.scotsman.com/subscriptions/sports for more details