What they said about the pros and cons of Richie’s big move

“It actually makes more sense for Richie to come to a club like ours, which had good relations with the SRU and is supportive of Scottish rugby, than going to France or elsewhere. Richie is a quality player that most leading clubs in England and France were interested in and I knew that if I was to get him I had to act quickly, and I was delighted when he said that he wanted to join us. We’re paying less than others were offering, and to me that says a lot about Richie. It came down to the lad’s ambition. He realises the Premiership is a tougher place than the Celtic league.

“We don’t want to be also-rans, but want to be winning the Premiership and Heineken Cup and we want to get the best from all of our players, see them playing internationally and for the Lions, and that has to benefit Scotland, too. I’d like to think that Scotland benefited from having Bryan Redpath and Jason White here, and I hope we see these young lads enjoying the same kinds of careers.”

Richie Vernon, team-mate at Glasgow now at Sale

“I know Richie will enjoy it at Sale. After a few games in the Premiership I’m really glad I came to Sale. There is a real emphasis on very physical, forward battles and tight play, which is something I need to develop to become a better player. Maybe Richie does, too.

“The British and Irish Lions in 2013 are also in the back of his mind, and he wants to challenge himself with the best in England. There is more media interest and a bigger spotlight hereand playing well in that environment is going to push you to a new level.

“It was a really tough decision for Richie and it is definitely a blow for Glasgow, but I think the move will be really good for him. You do get looked after in Scotland, but there are only two teams and it’s a real fight for places, so it must help Scottish rugby to have more people playing regularly at as high a level as possible.”

Neil McIlroy, manager of Clermont Auvergne

“Richie is the one Scottish player that French rugby has really taken notice of and we were certainly interested. He is probably the most recogniseable Scottish talent in the world game, not just because of his height and blond hair, but because of his ability.

“But we never got to the stage of making any offer because we have enough internationalists in our squad. We had 14 players away at the World Cup and Richie would be in the Six Nations, touring in the summer and playing autumn Tests, and it’s hard for us to justify to our sponsors signing players who are going to be unavailable for four or five months each season.

“Good Scots that emerge tend to be current internationalists and that makes it tough for us.”