Duncan Weir has revealed he is set to put pen to paper on a new contract that will see him extend his stay at Glasgow Warriors.
The former Scotland fly-half is out of contract at the end of the season but he’s confirmed a deal is almost in place.
The 32-year-old is in his second spell with Glasgow having spent six years at the club first time around before stints at Edinburgh and Worcester Warriors and he’s delighted he’ll be staying at Scotstoun when the contract is signed.
He said: “I’m out of contract in the summer but things are looking positive to keep playing. It’s pretty much done. It’s looking likely that I’ll be staying here.
“I’ve just left my agent to deal with all that nonsense and told them to come to me when they’ve got something worthwhile to tell me! The communication has all been good and it’s all looking pretty cushty.”
READ MORE: Stafford McDowall says facing Ireland was 'massive step up'
Weir is the only member of the team that played in the 2015 Pro 12 final left at Glasgow, though Zander Fagerson had made eight appearances during the course of the title-winning season under Gregor Townsend.
At 32, he’s one of the senior members of Smith’s squad now and he sees similarities with the one that reached the final in 2014 and then lifted the trophy a year later.
He’s been impressed by how Smith has rotated the squad to make sure everyone is fit and fresh, and reckons it’s paying off with players able to seamlessly enter the fray without there being any drop off in performance from the squad.
Glasgow could go top of the URC for 24 hours at least with a bonus point win over Cardiff on Friday night while they’re also still in the Champions Cup too.
READ MORE: Kyle Steyn looking to get back into Glasgow Warriors action
Weir is now looking forward to getting back into club action after the Six Nations and all focus will be on Glasgow with no more international fixtures until the summer.
He said: “How we’ve rotated the squad and given people different rests throughout the season has kept everyone hungry and ready to play their part when it comes. The Scotland boys wanted to make sure their form was good leading into the Six Nations to try to get selected but now it’s all about Glasgow.
“We’re in a good position in both competitions so in the 14 weeks that we have left in the season we want to go and do something pretty special if we keep growing our performances week on week from now. We’ve only done a certain amount of the job and the stuff that really counts is just around the corner. It’s about hitting out straps now and improving week on week to make sure we can make it count when it comes to knockout rugby.
“As a club we’ve always done well in this period when boys have been away.
"We get hit just as bad if not worse than the two Italian clubs in terms of the amount of players who go away on international duty. When our squad has been depleted due to Scotland we’ve stepped up.
“I remember from even back in the day guys coming back from international duty in the fallow weeks and always hungry and looking forward to impressing national selectors.
"And if young boys were getting a chance they were going into a team and being dogged and looking to take that opportunity.
“It’s a shame that we’ve not had more games in this period for guys a bit more on the fringes. The way that Franco has rotated for the majority of the season has shown that it’s a real team effort. You can’t just have 15 guys up to speed with everything, you need 30 to 35 who you can pull on when required.
“I feel that it’s been quite similar this year to back then (2015). I remember even in 2014 when we reached the final, you could have fielded two different XVs and nobody would have batted an eyelid in terms of standards as whoever was taking to the field was getting results.
“That squad mentality was really strong that year and again in 2015 when we won it. This season has felt a bit like those glory years and it feels like we’ve got a huge opportunity to do something special this year too.
“It’s that same feeling when Franco is changing the team and boys are seamlessly rotating in and out and grabbing their opportunity. In the past it’s maybe been a more consistent starting team and then if there were changes people were almost trying to hard to stake a claim.
“This season there’s an understanding that everyone will get a shot and it’s about how they can help the team improve week on week. That’s special when a squad can get to that place and you can be comfortable with whoever is playing around you. We’re all singing off the same hymn sheet.”
Read the rules here