Three Warriors have made the move to the far East this summer. Time to wish them well (and no crossing of fingers!)
Duncan Weir
Appearances – 108
Key stat – 750 points scored in his Glasgow career.
“We all dream of a team of Duncy Weirs” was the chant that rang round the noisier parts of Scotstoun as the pint-sized Weegie rounded off his final home appearance with a try. While a little impractical – they’d never win a lineout for example – the central message was sound – filling a side with players who give their maximum effort every single game would have to be a coach’s dream.
Duncan was seen as the anointed one almost before he set foot on the pitch for the Warriors. The young man from Cambuslang was going to take over from Dan Parks and help guide Glasgow to the next level. While he maybe hasn’t reached that messianic plateau he has been a major contributor in an influential position as the Warriors stepped up from playoff contenders to playoff winners.
More than a century of games down the line from his debut, Duncy can look back contentedly with what he has achieved with the rather significant addendum – so far. He’s not a player who is likely to be making the move to Edinburgh with anything other than the intention of driving that club onwards and upwards. The shirt may be unfamiliar and there may not be the boost of playing for his home town team but when he pulls on that black and red there will never be anything less than 100% effort from wee Chunky. Glasgow fans will be hoping that doesn’t come back to bite the club on the bum in future 1872 Cup encounters.
Glenn Bryce
Appearances -16
Key stat – A try scored every 125 minutes.
One thing has stood out from the moment Glenn crossed the whitewash on his debut against Leinster – he has a knack of scoring tries. In fact cynics have suggested that his move to Edinburgh was motivated not by a desire for first team rugby or to enhance his credentials for Scotland selection – but rather to protect his legacy as the man with the best strike rate for Gregor Townsend’s Glasgow (as pointed out by OTOTM). Spurious statistical comparisons aside though, Edinburgh do appear to be getting a very talented attacking player who is equally comfortable at full back or outside centre and he could be a significant figure as they continue to try and develop their backline.
Kevin Bryce
Appearances – 12
Key stat – 4 stones heavier than his wee brother!
There’s a significant disparity of the stature of Bryce the Elder (Kevin) and Bryce the Younger (Glenn). The powerful physique of forward Kevin is in stark contrast to his sylphlike brother who plies his trade in the backs. One hesitates to ascribe this to traditional sibling rivalries but either mum and dad were playing favourites when they were younger or KB was stealing Glenn’s lunch day in day out. Kevin’s move to Edinburgh not only sees him switching clubs but also positions as he slides across from 2 to 3 to play tighthead. It will be fascinating to see if, having already been capped by Scotland at hooker, he can reach a level where he again catches the eye of the national team’s selectors in what has been a troublesome position.
Once a Warrior 2016: Part 1 featuring James Eddie is here
On Top Of The Moon 