A Warrior’s farewell /Gibbins to leave Glasgow
Glasgow Warriors co-captain Callum Gibbins is leaving the club after three years at Scotstoun, writes Duncan Smith.
The Warriors announced that the 31-year-old New Zealand-born openside flanker would depart at the end of the Guinness Pro14 season, which is currently indefinitely suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The back-rower from New Plymouth has made a major impact since joining Warriors three years ago from Super Rugby side Wellington Hurricanes. He became an instant fans’ favourite and shared captaincy duties with Ryan Wilson for the past two seasons. He has scored 13 tries in 46 appearances for Glasgow.
On the occasions when both he and Scotland internationalist Wilson both started it was the Kiwi who took on the lead
captaincy role and led the Warriors out in front of 45,000 at Celtic Park for last year’s Pro14 final against Leinster, which Glasgow lost 18-15.
After the retirement of 33-times capped utility back Ruaridh Jackson earlier this week it is the loss of another senior figure ahead of a new era when Danny Wilson takes over as head coach from Australiabound Dave Rennie in July.
Rennie said: “Callum has had a massive impact since his arrival and leaves a lasting impression. A high-quality man, he is hugely respected
by peers and staff alike. Cully would hate me saying this but he has been the perfect Warrior.
“His work ethic and attention to detail on and off the pitch makes him an outstanding role model. Superbly conditioned, competitive and intelligent, his point of difference is his ability to become a different creature and bring a brutal edge every time he crosses the paint.
“He genuinely cares about his team-mates, is very generous
with his time for fans and prominent in a variety of community projects. Having a lead role in the Scrumbags, the team band that raised over £10,000 for the Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity is one such example of this.”
Gibbins had previously worked with both Rennie, pictured, and former Scotland and Glasgow assistant Jason O’halloran, having played under the pair during his time as captain
of the Manawatu Turbos.
Uncapped by his native New Zealand, Gibbins would actually have been technically Scottish-qualified on the old three-year residency rule but always made clear from his arrival in Glasgow that international rugby was not part of his thinking when making the move north.
“I’m an All Blacks fan, and there are plenty of good young Scottish back-rows coming
through,” he said at last year’s Heineken Champions Cup launch in Cardiff.
Gibbins arrived in the summer of 2017, having delivered an eye-catching try-scoring display in a thrilling 31-31 draw against the British and Irish Lions just a few weeks before.
The flanker made his Glasgow debut in a 31-10 home win over the Ospreys in September 2017, scoring his first two tries for the club against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein three weeks later.