Glasgow Warriors academy trio handed professional contracts
Wednesday 23 March 2016 12:41, UK
Glasgow Warriors have handed professional contracts to three members of their academy.
Scotland U20 captain Scott Cummings has signed a three-year deal, hooker James Malcolm has joined for two and centre Nick Grigg has put pen to paper on a one-year contract.
They are the latest Stage 3 players to graduate from the BT Sport Scottish Rugby Academy, after scrum-half Ali Price signed his first professional contract with the club last year.
Cummings, 19, made his debut for the Warriors against the Scarlets in the season-opener and has gone on to make nine appearances for the club. He scored his first try for the Warriors in the 33-32 win over Connacht in September.
He was named captain of Scotland U20s for their Six Nations tournament this year, leading his side to an historic 24-6 win over England - Scotland's first over England at that level - in the opening game, where he also scored a try.
Malcolm, 21, has been a member of the BT Sport Scottish Rugby Academy for the last two years and has made 11 appearances for the club this season, following his debut in the win over Cardiff Blues in November 2015.
He scored his first try for the club on his first start against the Scarlets in the European Rugby Champions Cup win at Scotstoun in December 2015.
And 23-year-old centre Grigg, who joined the academy in pre-season having signed from Petone RFC in New Zealand, made his debut for the Warriors coming off the bench in the 12-6 win over Leinster last Friday.
The 23-year-old has played in the World Rugby Sevens Series for Scotland 7s in Wellington and Sydney as well as featuring for Stirling County in the BT Premiership.
Glasgow Warriors head coach Gregor Townsend said: "All three have done really well to earn professional contracts and we're delighted they're staying in Glasgow.
"We're delighted to secure Scott on a long-term contract and we're looking forward to seeing him continue to develop with the Warriors over the next few years. He played very well in the early part of the season and really grabbed his opportunity to play at a higher level.
"James has also stepped up this season and played well in a number of games for us. He has an excellent attitude and will work hard to continue to improve as a full-time professional. He will compete with - and learn from - Corey, Fraser and Pat next season.
"Nick has had a great season with Stirling and made real progress on the physical and skill elements of his game. He did very well when he came on against Leinster last Friday and he has earned the opportunity to continue his development at Scotstoun.
"With Scott, James and Nick all earning professional contracts, that brings the total number of academy players graduating to full professional contracts up to 11 within the last couple of years.
"I'd like to acknowledge the excellent work of the staff in the Glasgow/West BT Sport Scottish Rugby Academy, who work extremely hard to prepare our best young players on their journey to become Warriors."
