Glasgow Warriors bring in Forbes

Glasgow Warriors have added talented former New Zealand U20s star Cole Forbes to the squad on a permanent basis, with the back-three player putting pen to paper on a multi-year deal following a successful trial at the club.

The former junior
All Black has been training with his new team-mates at Scotstoun since the end
of January, and has impressed Head Coach Danny Wilson and his coaching team
with both his talent and work ethic.

He becomes
the third back-three player aged 21 or younger to agree terms with the club in
the last week, joining Rufus McLean and Ollie Smith in committing their future
to the Warriors.

Born in
Pukekohe, Forbes first caught the eye when helping Bay of Plenty to the Jock
Hobbs Memorial National U19 tournament in New Zealand, before going on to make
his senior debut for the province in the Mitre10 Cup.

Indeed, as
the 21-year-old explains, a former Warrior played a key role in helping
Wilson’s men get the inside track on his signature.

“Hugh Blake
and I played Mitre10 together for Bay of Plenty, and he got me in contact with
an agent up here,” Forbes told glasgowwarriors.org.

“They put me
in touch with Danny and the coaches at Glasgow, who were keen to take me on
trial. Luckily it’s gone really well and I’m keen to repay the faith they’ve
shown in me.”

Scottish-qualified
courtesy of his grandfather, Forbes was part of the New Zealand squad for the
2019 World Rugby U20 Championship alongside future All Black Tupou Vaa’i and
Super Rugby Aotearoa winners Cullen Grace and Leicester Fainga’anuku.

Also
comfortable playing at fly-half, he made three appearances in the tournament
including starting two of New Zealand’s three group stage matches.

When the
opportunity arose to make the switch north, however, it proved too good to pass
up for Forbes.

“Glasgow’s a
club and a city that’s got a proud rugby history, both professionally and back
in the amateur era,” he explained.

“I always
wanted to go overseas with my rugby if the opportunity came up, and Glasgow
were keen to bring me over and have a look at me.

“All the
boys have been great since I arrived. They’ve all really helped me out – coming
in halfway through a season is always difficult but they’ve helped me fit in really
well.”

On the
signing of Forbes head coach, Danny Wilson, said: “Cole has really
impressed us since joining in January.

“He’s a back
three player with pace, good footwork and has shown a defensive physical
presence already in training

“He joins us
with experience playing in the Mitre10 Cup and has previously represented New
Zealand U20s.

“Cole has
worked hard in training and shown a lot of promise. We look forward to seeing
what he can do in the Warriors jersey.”

Forbes’
first opportunity to pull on the Glasgow jersey comes this weekend, as the
Warriors travel to defending champions Leinster on Sunday evening. If selected,
it’s a chance that the back-three is ready to take with both hands.

“It’s a
challenge I’m looking forward to,” he said.

“The style
of rugby is definitely different to back in New Zealand – there’s a lot more
kicking up here so I’ve been making sure my game under the high ball is a big
focus in training.

“It’s a
really exciting time to join the club, and I can’t wait for my first opportunity
to run out in a Glasgow shirt. I want to show what I can do and thank the
Glasgow coaches for giving me the chance every time I represent this proud
city.”