'One of the best in Europe' - Scotland captain signs new deal
Glasgow Warriors forward commits to club for three more seasons
Rory Darge has signed a new contract with Glasgow Warriors which ties him to the club for the next three seasons and has been backed to scale new heights after only “scratching the surface of his potential”.
The forward, who was this week named Scotland captain for their summer to New Zealand and Fiji, is the latest senior player to commit his future to the Warriors.
Fellow Scotland internationals Sione Tuipulotu, Kyle Steyn, Kyle Rowe, Stafford McDowall and Zander and Matt Fagerson all agreed new deals in recent months although the club also said farewell to Tom Jordan and Jack Mann as well as overseas players Henco Venter, Sebastian Cancelliere and JP du Preez.
Darge, 25, joined Glasgow from Edinburgh in 2021 and made an immediate impact at Scotstoun after struggling for game-time in the east. He has been a regular in the No 7 jersey and established himself as Scotland’s first-choice openside flanker.
“Rory has developed into one of the best in his position in Europe, and we still believe that he is only scratching the surface of his potential,” said Franco Smith, the Glasgow head coach. “His work in both attack and defence makes him an invaluable asset for both club and country; his statistics speak for themselves and only serve to underline his quality.
“He has developed into a leader within our environment over the last few seasons, and being named as Scotland captain is a well-deserved reflection of this development.
“He is someone who embodies what it means to be a Warrior, and we look forward to continuing to work with him over the coming seasons.”
Darge’s new deal commits him to Glasgow until summer 2028 and he is confident the club can build on their recent success. He was a key player as the Warriors won the United Rugby Championship in 2024 and although their defence of the title was ended by Leinster at the semi-final stage last weekend, Darge is optimistic about the squad’s potential and said that signing the new contract was an easy decision.
“It was fairly straightforward really,” Darge told glasgowwarriors.org. “I love my time in Glasgow and the club is the best place for me to be just now – I’m loving my rugby and this is the best possible place for me to keep developing.
“The competition at Scotstoun is something that’s definitely played a role in continuing to develop me, particularly this season with how well the young guys played when they came. Everyone that came in took their opportunity really well, which is a testament to this environment and the coaching that we get, and that only bodes well for the future of this club.”
The 30-times capped flanker was Scotland co-captain with Finn Russell during the 2024 and 2025 Six Nations and will skipper the national side solo on the forthcoming summer tour while Russell is in Australia with the British & Irish Lions. The North Berwick man has also been taking more responsibility at the Warriors, assisting club captain Kyle Steyn.
“I’ve really started to enjoy the leadership role over the last season or so, both for Scotland and for Glasgow – I’ve enjoyed being able to support Steyno on and off the field, and it’s an exciting part of the game for me,” he said. “There’s such a connection between the club and its community, too. We had a debrief earlier this week after the semi-final, and Franco and Al [Kellock, managing director] were keen to stress the positives of everything we do, not only on the pitch but off it. Every single grassroots club visit and all the work this club does with charities like Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity, it just helps to inspire our community and inspire the next generation of Glasgow Warriors.”
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.