TOM Lambert has rounded off a promising debut season with Glasgow by signing his first professional contract. The former Scotland Under-20 loosehead, who is an academy member this season, only made his debut last month but has already done enough to suggest he will be a regular contender for a place in Danny Wilson’s squad next season.
That first outing against Benetton may have been an inauspicious start for the 20-year-old, as the Warriors contrived to turn in their worst display of the season and went down to a 46-19 defeat. But the front-row forward did enough after coming off the bench to persuade head coach Wilson that he merited another chance, and he went on to make another outing as a substitute in the home win over Edinburgh before starting the following week in the win at Murrayfield.
Having previously turned out for Australia Under-19s before heading to Scotstoun last summer, Lambert has not had long to adjust to life with the Warriors, and credits his team-mates for the relative ease with which he has coped with his new environment. “I’ve been really enjoying my time at Glasgow,” he said on the Glasgow website yesterday as news of his pro deal was announced. “Coming from Australia at the start of the season, the boys have made the transition really easy. It’s an awesome club, a really good group with great values that like to train really hard on the pitch and have a laugh together off it.
“This season I’ve done a lot of work with Danny and the coaches on my game to ensure when I got my opportunity, I would be able to hold my own in the scrums and set piece. They have given me a really good lead-in to professional rugby, and I feel like I’m in a good place to kick on and continue to keep pushing for selection.
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“I’m really hungry to play more rugby - I’ve had a taste of what it is like to play for Glasgow this season and my main focus now is to keep playing and competing for my place in the 23. Overall, I’m just excited to be turning professional with the club. I’ve started to build a life for myself here in Glasgow and I’m excited to see what the future holds.”
Wilson admitted he had not thought that Lambert was ready to make his debut earlier in the season, but said that over the past few weeks he had been impressed by the commitment shown by the prop in training. “I didn’t think he deserved it until recently. He’s really knuckled down and worked hard. His scrimmaging has improved.
“Tom has really proved himself in recent weeks. He's a good young prospect who's been willing to put in the hard work off the pitch throughout the season to develop his game and has earned the opportunities he’s had against Edinburgh and Benetton. It’s great to see another academy member turn professional and we look forward to seeing more of him in a Glasgow jersey next season.”
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