Glasgow Warriors have signed Scotland hooker Ross Ford after he was left without a club following the closure of Border Reivers.
The 23-year-old featured in each of Scotland’s RBS 6 Nations Championship matches earlier this year and Dougie Hall’s knee ligament injury should mean he has a major role to play at the IRB World Cup.
Hall and Fergus Thomson will be rivals to Ford at club level after the World Cup, as the strengthened Glasgow side look for a strong Magners League campaign.
Ford, capped 10 times by Scotland, said: "I’m joining Glasgow at an exciting time for the Warriors.
"With a few other hookers in the ranks, I’ll hopefully develop a more competitive edge to my game, which can only benefit me in the long-run."
Warriors head coach Sean Lineen added: "It is every coach’s dream to have a competitive stable of hookers, all competing for the starting jersey."
