Dunbar joins rush to sign up at Scotstoun
ALEX DUNBAR has become the latest senior player to pledge his future to Glasgow, joining team-mates such as Stuart Hogg and Tommy Seymour in opting to extend his stay at Scotstoun.
The decision by some of the Warriors’ leading players to remain with the club is an apparent vote of confidence in incoming coach Dave Rennie, who will succeed Gregor Townsend in the summer when the incumbent takes over from Vern Cotter. Dunbar, who has signed a new two-year contract that ties him to Scotstoun until May 2019, is convinced the Champions Cup quarter-finalists can keep improving in the seasons to come.
“Glasgow Warriors is a great club and I’m really enjoying my rugby just now, so it was an easy decision when it came around,” he said yesterday at Oriam, the national sports centre in Edinburgh where the Scotland squad are training for the Six Nations Championship. “We’re playing well just now. We have a very settled squad and a lot of young boys coming through so, for me, it was an easy decision in the end.
“The next few years we could push ourselves on. We’re improving this year, but have more as a squad to come.
“It was disappointing to miss so much of last year and a bit through injury. I just wanted to enjoy my rugby, get back to playing regularly again. I think we’ve got a very ambitious squad, with areas for us to improve even more. For us as a squad how much we’re enjoying it is a big factor. We can take it to the next level.
“There was interest [elsewhere], but I’m happy with my decision to stay. I’m looking forward to getting through the Six Nations and getting back into it. We have the European quarter-final to look forward to. I’m looking forward to doing something special with Glasgow.
“I don’t let too much outside rugby affect me. I’m happy I’ve signed and I’m looking forward to a good Six Nations.”
Dunbar is set to win his 20th cap on Saturday when Ireland visit Murrayfield in the first match of this year’s Championship, having made his debut back in 2013. Injuries have restricted his availability at times but, when fit, he is now close to being an automatic choice for Vern Cotter’s side.
His Warriors team-mate Mark Bennett is also in the squad of 36 named by Cotter for the tournament, although when the team to play Ireland is announced on Thursday it looks likely that Bennett will miss out, with South-Africa-based Huw Jones favourite to start in the No.13 jersey. Duncan Taylor of Saracens could also figure in the matchday squad of 23 if he is passed fit, while Matt Scott of Gloucester is another in contention to partner Dunbar.
“Everybody’s playing well just now,” Dunbar added. “We have great strength in depth. Matty has started the season well with Gloucester, Huw had a great autumn internationals, and Mark has been playing well lately too. We have to keep training hard and keep putting pressure on each other to improve.”
Morale in the national squad appears to be high as the countdown to the Ireland game continues, something that is thanks in large part to a couple of excellent results at club level. Edinburgh qualified for the last eight of the Challenge Cup with a convincing win over Timisoara Saracens in their last pool game, while Glasgow’s 43-0 win at Leicester took them into the quarter-finals of the premier European competition.
“Boys are confident coming off the back of the European fixtures. It’s not only Glasgow who are buzzing just now. A lot of the younger guys are playing really well, but we know we need to stay focused on our goals.
“We’ve come back in [to the Scotland camp], but we know how difficult it is to get wins in the Six Nations. We’re focusing on just the first game.
“There’s a lot of Glasgow boys here. Edinburgh got through their group. There’s a good buzz here. Everybody is confident. We just need to knuckle down and get stuck in.
“We’ve developed as a whole squad. Now we go into every game a lot more competitive than we did in games gone by.”
Townsend, who took over as Glasgow’s head coach before Dunbar had made his international debut, welcomed the centre’s decision to stay with the team. “It’s great news that Alex will be staying in Glasgow for at least another two years,” he said.
“He has worked hard – and has come back from some untimely injuries – to become an important player for the club. This is another boost for us, with a number of players having already signed up beyond this season.”