Warriors snare a big Falcon

Glasgow Warriors have secured the services of Newcastle Falcons lock Tim Swinson who will move to the Scotstoun-based club at the end of the season.

Swinson has racked up 82 Premiership appearances since making his Falcons debut in 2007, and the 25-year-old, who was named Newcastle Player of the Season, has continued to impress during the current campaign.

Swinson, a one-time Australian Grand finalist with Sydney University, is eligible to play for Scotland, courtesy of a maternal grandmother from Glasgow. He has signed a two-year contract with the Warriors, taking him up to the end of May 2014.

He said: “I’m really pleased to have signed for a club with the ambition and bright future of Glasgow Warriors.

“They’ve made real progress in the Pro12 this season, and with the signings and re-signings they’ve made, they’re clearly very determined to build on that and achieve success.

“There is a great team environment at the club, and everything I’ve seen and heard about the Warriors suggests that’s very much the case in Glasgow as well. It’s going to be a really positive place and team to be part of.

“I leave the Falcons on good terms and the move has been handled well on both sides,” he added.

Warriors head coach Sean Lineen welcomed Swinson’s signing, saying: “We see this as a very positive step in our planning for next season. Tim is a player who has consistently stood out in one of the toughest testing grounds for a second row forward, the English Premiership.

“He’s a battle-hardened competitor who relishes the physical side of the game, and he’s not one for taking a backward step with the pressure’s really on.

“We’re delighted to have him on board. He’ll give us another great option in an area of the team where we’ve already got a good number of guys challenging for jerseys, and it’s another strong piece in the jigsaw for what should be a really exciting chapter in the club’s history,” he said.