EXETER LEAD THE CHARGE FOR GRAY
EXETER Chiefs are leading the chase for Scotland international Jonny Gray after Sportsmail revealed that he is set to leave Glasgow Warriors in the summer.
The 25-year-old is seeking a new challenge after spending all of his professional career at Scotstoun.
And it’s understood that he is keen on a move to England, with his preferred destination being Exeter where he would be reunited with former team-mate Stuart Hogg following the full-back’s switch from Glasgow to Sandy Park last summer.
Wasps are also thought to be interested in luring the 55-times capped second row to the English Premiership.
A move to Exeter would be the lesser of two evils for Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend as he has a close working relationship with the club’s director of rugby Rob Baxter.
That would allow him to talk to Gray when he wants and be confident that the player would be given breaks after every four or five games to keep him fresh during the season.
That isn’t always the case when players end up in France. Although player welfare is important there, owners invariably make it clear that clubs always come before country.
There has been interest in Gray from Top 14 clubs but he is believed to be reluctant to go there.
His older brother Richie, 30, has carved a successful career for himself at, first, Castres and now Toulouse but may leave French rugby at the end of the season.
Meanwhile, Glasgow are moving closer to announcing they have secured the return of second row Leone Nakarawa until at least the end of the season. With Gray on the way out, that will provide a short-term boost for the club who will try to get the 31-year-old Fijian international to pen a longer deal as his permanent replacement.
That won’t be easy, however. It will take big money to keep Nakarawa at Scotstoun past May, especially given that he is one of the most talented second rows in the world.
English and French clubs are set to take part in a bidding war for his signature come the summer.
Nakarawa has been a free agent since being sacked by Racing 92 for returning late from the Rugby World Cup.