Josh Strauss and Leone Nakarawa
Glasgow Warriors have received a major boost ahead of Sunday’s European Rugby Champions Cup match against Toulouse, with the news that Josh Strauss and Leone Nakarawa have signed new deals with the club.
Both players have signed two-year contracts, keeping them at Scotstoun until at least May 2017 and have committed their futures to the club just a week after Stuart Hogg and Lee Jones penned deals for the same length of time.
South African-born Strauss arrived in Glasgow in September 2012 and the 28-year-old has made 56 appearances for the Guinness PRO12 side. He has scored six tries and has captained the team.
The powerful No 8 has featured regularly for the Warriors and will become eligible to play for Scotland in September 2015.
glasgowwarriors
Speaking exclusively to the club’s official website, Josh Strauss said: “I’ve learnt a lot working with the players and coaches at Scotstoun and it was a good decision to move to Glasgow from South Africa.
“I’ve enjoyed the last three years at the club and I really like the group of players that are here. I’ve developed playing in the Guinness PRO12 and European Rugby Champions Cup and I’m happy to be staying. “I’m ambitious and I want to win trophies and I believe I have the best chance of doing that at the Warriors.”
Nakarawa arrived in Glasgow in the summer of 2013 and has gone on to make 30 appearances for the club.
The 6ft 6in second-row has 24 caps for Fiji and represented his country at the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.
The 26-year-old has played in six HSBC Sevens World Series events.
Speaking exclusively to the club’s website Leone Nakarawa said: “Signing my first professional contract with Glasgow was a big move for me and I’m really enjoying playing for the club and I’m very happy living in the city.
“We have excellent players and coaches at Scotstoun and I believe I can continue to improve working with them.
“The supporters have been great with me since I joined and I’m delighted to be staying.”
Glasgow Warriors head coach Gregor Townsend added: “Josh (Strauss) and Leone (Nakarawa) have made a big impact since they joined us and it’s a big boost for everyone at the club that they’re staying.
“We really appreciate the continued backing from Scottish Rugby to make these deals possible.
“Leone has worked really hard in training to adapt to the 15-a-side game, having predominately played sevens before arriving in Glasgow and he’s now a regular in the Fiji national squad.
“He has a wide variety of skills, which gives us something different and he’s versatile, being able to play in the second-row and back-row.
“Josh is part of our leadership group and has captained the side. When he first came over he settled in really well and has adapted quickly to our style of play.
“He will continue to have a big role to play at the club both on and off the pitch.”
Great news for Glasgow, two really good players.
@ Bullscot:
Hi BullScott.
Do you think Strauss will make the Scottish world cup squad.
Is that like will Pietersen make the England XI? 🙂
@ Jeraldjay:
Hi Jeraldjay certainly hope so and especially if he carries on playing as well as he has this season. The only thing that may be a stumbling block is the timing as not sure exactly what date in September he becomes available to play for Scotland and when the World Cup squads need to be finalized, also not sure how Vern Cotter is feeling will he want to bring a player into his squad at such a late stage but this should not be a problem as he has lot of time to see Josh at Glasgow. Other options at number 8 for Scotland are Johnnie Beattie young Adam Ashe and David Denton, they are all decent players but if I had the choice it would be Strauss any day but maybe I am biased. One thing pretty sure is that SA let a good player go.
@ Jeraldjay:
Another thing for me this extension for another two years surely shows Josh Strauss commitment to Scottish Rugby, hope they reciprocate.
Good luck to him. He was a great player in SA, but unfortunately he was very low down on the pecking order of No 8’s when he left SA. And the shenanigans with John Mitchell would not have helped his cause at all.
@ Lion4ever:
Hi Lion4ever don’t know he was that low down as thought he was close to playing for Boks and seem to remember that there was a lot of support in blogland for Strauss to be a Bok at that time. What were the shenanigans with John Mitchell?
@ Bullscot:
When he was at the Lions there were Spies, and Kank as the 2 incumbents, and then Willem Alberts was also a back up, and Duane Vermuelen was everybody was baying for him to be included in the Bok team.
And apparantly Josh was one of the instigators of the player revolt against Mitch.
@ Lion4ever:
@ Bullscot:
Not the first Player to fan the fires of mutiny when under the Leadership of, “He with a Head like a Baboons Arse”.
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