The Warriors have announced that hooker Dougie Hall will retire from rugby at the end of the season, while prop Jon Welsh and assistant coach Shade Munro will also leave the club.

Shade has been part of the coaching staff at the Warriors since 2003 and will leave his role this summer when his contract expires.

Dougie arrived from Edinburgh in 2007 and has gone on to make 141 appearances for the PRO12 side over an 8-year spell. In the summer he will join one of the club’s sponsors, McCrea Financial Services.

Jon, who joined Glasgow in 2008 and has gone on to make 106 appearances, will join Newcastle Falcons for next season.

Shade Munro has worked under head coaches Hugh Campbell, Sean Lineen and Gregor Townsend as the club’s forwards coach for the past 12 years.

The former international lock played for Glasgow High / Kelvinside RFC throughout his club career and quickly took to coaching following his retirement from playing in 1997.

Initially the Glasgow Hawks 2nd XV coach, he was made assistant coach of the 1st XV before becoming head coach the following year. That was a position he held for the next 3 seasons before joining Glasgow as one of the assistant coaches.

Shade was part of the Scotland coaching team in 2006 under Frank Hadden when they beat France, England and Italy and was Scotland assistant coach for 2 Churchill Cup’s when they reached the final on both occasions.

He has coached the Scotland ‘A side on 3 occasions and was in charge when they beat England Saxons in Newcastle for the 1st time on English soil in 2013 and the following year, when they drew with England at Scotstoun.

Shade said: “I’ve really enjoyed my time at the club and being part of something very special.

“I’ve witnessed the club growing and developing into one of the top sides in Europe, now regularly competing for the PRO12 title and that is something I’m extremely proud of.

“With 5 games to go we’ve put ourselves in a good position in the league, but there is still a lot of rugby to be played and I believe we can go 1 step better than last season.”

After starting his career at Glasgow, Dougie Hall progressed from an apprentice contract with Glasgow Caledonians to a full-time pro-contract initially with Glasgow and then Edinburgh in 2002.

He made 102 appearances for Edinburgh, before returning to the Warriors in the summer of 2007 and since then has played a key role with the club reaching the PRO12 semi-finals in both 2010 and 2012. He has gone on to represent Scotland 42 times.

Last season Dougie featured in 19 games in the PRO12 and was in the starting line-up for the PRO12 Final in May.

He has played the 5th highest number of games in the PRO12, having made 160 appearances in the league during his time with Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Dougie said: “I’ve really enjoyed my time as a professional rugby player.

“To see the club progress as much as it has done over the last 8 years and to have been a part of that has been fantastic.

“It’s great to be able to finish my career at the same club where it all began.

“I’m excited about the new challenges that lie ahead in my new career with McCrea Financial Services.

“I look forward to supporting the Warriors from the stands and seeing Glasgow become the top team in Europe.”

McCrea Financial Services managing director, Douglas McCrea added: “With such a long-standing career with Glasgow Warriors, Edinbugh Rugby and Scotland, we are delighted to confirm Dougie Hall will be joining McCrea Financial Services in the summer.

“Coincidentally, Dougie joined the Warriors in 2007, the same year we became sponsors of the club and Dougie has spent time in our offices over the last few years gearing himself up for his new career.”

Jon Welsh signed from GHA after successful appearances for the Scotland Club XV against Wales and Ireland in February 2008.

The 29-year-old was named in the PRO12 Dream Team in the 2011 / 2012 season.

He won his 1st cap for Scotland in the RBS 6 Nations match against Italy in Rome in March 2012. He has gone on to make 4 appearances for Scotland and has scored 1 try for his country.

Jon said: “Since turning professional I’ve only ever played for the Warriors and I feel I’ve really improved as a player over the last 7 years.

“I’ve really enjoyed my time at Glasgow and I’ve made a lot of good friends, but I’m excited about this new challenge of playing in the Aviva Premiership with Newcastle Falcons.

“I hope to finish the season on a high, before leaving in the summer.”

Glasgow Warriors head coach Gregor Townsend commented: “Shade (Munro) has been at the Warriors longer than anyone else, working with 3 different coaches, and he’s been a big part of the club’s success in recent seasons.

“He can take a lot of pride in how the contributions he’s made have helped the club grow both on and off the field.

“The club continues to evolve and it was a very tough decision to move on without Shade, but we wish him all the best when he leaves us at the end of the season.

“I’d like to thank him for all his help over the past 3 years and it would be fantastic if we could achieve success in his last season with the club.

“Dougie (Hall) is a very consistent and experienced player, who has played at the highest level of the game.

“He can look back with a lot of pride on his career with Edinburgh and Scotland, but especially these last few years with Glasgow.

“He’s helped bring through other hookers at the club and we’ve now got excellent depth in that position. I’m looking forward to the competition for places next season with Fraser Brown, Kevin Bryce, Pat MacArthur and Fergus Scott all vying for a place in the team.

“Dougie has left a legacy at Glasgow and we wish him all the best in his new career, when he leaves us in the summer.

“Jon (Welsh) has been a fantastic servant for the club over the last 7 years and is a popular figure with our squad and supporters. He has worked hard to improve his game and during his time at the Warriors he has gone on to play for Scotland.

“We expect him to play a big part in the run-in to the season and we wish him all the best at Newcastle next season.”

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