Scotland centre released by Glasgow Warriors makes move to Brive

Sam Johnson recently played for the Barbarians against a World XV at Twickenham. (Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images for Barbarians)

The 27-times capped Scotland centre was one of six senior players who left Glasgow Warriors at the end of the season. Johnson, 29, joined from Queensland Reds and spent eight years at Scotstoun and made 104 appearances for the club but will now continue his career in the south of France. Brive announced his signing as one of 11 new players recruited for the 2023-24 season as they look to bounce back from a dismal campaign which saw them relegated from the Top 14. Brive, European champions in 1997, finished bottom of the table and will compete in the Pro D2 next season.

Lewis Bean, one of the other Glasgow leavers, has also made the move to the French second-tier having signed for Montauban. Rob Harley, Glasgow Warriors’ record appearance holder, relocated to Pro D2 last summer when he signed for US Carcassonne.

Johnson follows in the footsteps of several notable Scots to have played for Brive including Gregor Townsend, Mike Blair and Alex Dunbar. The Aussie-born centre started 11 games for Glasgow Warriors in the 2022-23 season, helping them to a fourth-place finish in the United Rugby Championship. He missed a chunk of the campaign after suffering a broken jaw against the Sharks in October but returned to play his part in what was a successful first season for coach Franco Smith who guided the Warriors to the European Challenge Cup final, where they lost to Toulon.