Glasgow Warriors prolific try-scorer DTH van der Merwe has committed to Scotstoun for at least a further two years.
While not on the scoresheet in the eight-try demolition of the Dragons on Friday, the Canadian flyer has firmly established himself as a Warriors favourite with his high-octane performances since signing for the club in 2009.
He has extended his contract meaning he'll stay on with Glasgow until at least May 2015.
Van der Merwe arrived in Glasgow via Saracens having made his debut for the Canadian national side three years earlier and has built a reputation as a fearsome finisher.
He is on the verge of becoming the Warriors all-time leading try-scorer having already surpassed former Glasgow wing Thom Evans in the league try-scoring chart.
He needs just two more scores to take the all-time club record.
"This was a pretty easy decision for me and I'm very happy to have signed the deal," said the 26-year-old, who has racked up eight tries in nine appearances this season.
"The direction the squad is heading played a big factor in my decision to stay in Glasgow, not just the guys who are playing here already but the guys who want to come and play their rugby here too. It's pretty exciting.
"I've been lucky enough to play in a couple of semi-finals with this club and it would be great to take it that one step further on. This squad definitely has the potential to win some silverware.
"I'm very grateful to the club for giving me the opportunity to play professionally and now Gregor (Townsend) has come in and I've been lucky enough to get a few tries. They're team tries though, I just happen to be the guy that's the last one to receive the ball.
"I'm just real excited about where this team is going. We're a young team but there's a lot of talent and experience despite it being a pretty young squad so if we keep the group together, that's going to be great for the club in the long-term."
Comments
HRFC2 says...
really...the best try scorer for Glasgow in the last 5 years is bad news.
This is Glasgow warriors not Scotland. So you think that only Scotland players should play for Glasgow and Edinburgh...let me know how that works out. Your lucky at this point to even be included in the Heineken cup, take away foreign blood in your local clubs and you can kiss away any development or anything better than a local derby. Last time I checked Scotland is not a rugby power house like the NZ,Aus, or SA, so good luck with getting qualified players or coaches with a buy local only mentality.
On that note, DTH should have kept his options open. With his record he should have moved to a club that has a chance of getting some hardware.
Posted 20:15 19th February 2013
atg77 says...
Unbeleivable townsend let this happen. how about developing Scots-qualified wingers? Disasterous news for Scottish rugby.
Posted 21:11 17th February 2013