Why Scotland star Huw Jones rejected ‘tempting’ French Top 14 offers
Scotlands Huw Jones celebrates scoring a try during the Guinness Six Nations match at BT Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh. Picture date: Sunday March 12, 2023.
Scotland centre Huw Jones says that he was “tempted” to make the move to France before penning a contract extension with the Glasgow Warriors.
The 30-year-old attracted the interest of Montpellier and Bayonne, according to reports, but ultimately extended his stay with Glasgow.
He has since explained the factors that led to his decision to remain committed to Glasgow for another two seasons until 2026.
Big decision
“I’ve said in the past that I’d be open to a move to France, so, yeah, it was certainly tempting,” Jones said, speaking from the Scotland camp ahead of Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations match away to Italy.
“Like you do with all big decisions, you’ve got to weigh up the pros and cons and all that and I think when it came down to it, it was a rugby decision.
“I thought it would be a shame to pass up what’s happening at Glasgow at the moment. I think since (head coach) Franco (Smith) came in, since I came back to the club (from Harlequins in 2022), I’ve seen a real growth in the squad.
“The way we train, the way we play, I think we’re getting better and better. I think we’ve got a real momentum at the moment and I want to stay part of that.
“We’ve obviously got a baby on the way in the next couple of weeks; we’re pretty settled in Glasgow, we’ve got loads of friends around, and my family live just outside Edinburgh, so it’s nice to be staying put.”
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Glasgow’s successful season so far
Glasgow defeated Benetton last weekend in the United Rugby Championship to cement third place on the standings until the tournament resumes in late February.
Their eight victories from 11 matches see them only trail the Bulls on points defence and are just four league points behind pace-setters Leinster (44).
Jones is also set to go up against his former employers, Harlequins, in the Champions Cup knockout stages after the Six Nations.
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