Glasgow Warriors sign new wing

Editor

Glasgow Warriors have announced the signing of Australian-born winger Ratu Tagive on a one-year deal.

Tagive has arrived from Sydney where he has been playing in the Shute Shield club rugby competition for Eastern Suburbs.

The winger had previously spent time with the ACT Brumbies and gained invaluable experience as part of their Super Rugby squad.

The 23-year old’s roots are in Rugby League having spent time at NRL teams the Bulldogs and West Tigers.

He then moved to Canberra to study a bachelor of psychology with a major in nutrition at the University of Canberra where he took up 15-a-side rugby and quickly got recognised by local clubs and then the Brumbies. He then went on to train with the Australia sevens squad.

Standing at 6ft 3in and weighing in at over 100kg, Ratu used his size and pace to score seven tries in ten appearances for Eastern Suburbs last season.

His older brother Peni also has a rugby background, having played in the NRL for West Tigers, St. George Illawarra and Sydney Roosters before making the switch to college football in the US with Baylor University.

Speaking exclusively to glasgowwarriors.org, Ratu spoke of his excitement of coming to Scotstoun.

He said: “There is so much to be excited about, especially seeing how well the team has started the season.

“My roots are in Rugby League but I’ve spent a year at the Brumbies learning how to play Union, surrounded by Wallabies and fantastic players and I’m really grateful to everyone there for everything they’ve done for me.

“Taqele Naiyaravoro is a really good mate of mine, we were together at the West Tigers. He was nice enough to give me a call last week and give me a bit of advice on what to expect.

“He only had good things to say about his experience at Glasgow and that was really reassuring.

“One thing I’ve noticed about watching Glasgow Warriors is their play is a lot more expansive than I anticipated, so it’s really exciting and I can’t wait to get started.”

Glasgow Warriors head coach Gregor Townsend said: “Ratu is quick and powerful and arrives at a good time with Leonardo (Sarto) out for a few months through injury.

“He has played at a good level in Australia and has shown that he has the ability to score tries and will help provide competition for places on the wing.

“I’m sure that he will develop within our environment and it won’t take him long to look to get to grips with the style of rugby we play.”