WORCESTER Warriors' Duncan Weir will be leaving the club at the end of the season to join Glasgow Warriors, it has been confirmed.

Rumours and reports over the last couple of weeks suggested he might well be returning to his first ever club and the pull of being back in Scotland with his young family, especially in times like these, was too good to not grab hold of.

Weir has become a favourite with Warriors supporters since he arrived at Sixways from Edinburgh three years ago and was included in the club’s Ultimate XV from the professional era in a poll last year.

The 29-year-old has rattled up 439 points in 49 appearances since joining Warriors and his consistent form helped to secure Weir a return to Scotland’s starting XV in the recent Autumn Nations Cup, in which he won his 30th cap against France at Murrayfield.

But the offer of a long contract as well as being closer to his family has persuaded Weir to re-join Glasgow for whom he played more than 100 times in a successful first spell between 2010 and 2016.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time down here but with a young family, the chance to go home and the faith that Glasgow have put in me with a long-term contract with everything that is going on in the world it’s a good decision for my family and rugby-wise,” Weir said.

“The package and the opportunity to go home was almost too good to turn down.

“We love our life down here and I appreciated when I was named in the Ultimate XV the support that I have had from the supporters here. I’d like to thank them for making me and my family so welcome and for all the fantastic support they have given me over the last three years.

“With the uncertain circumstances in rugby and in the world, to get this over line so early was good.

“But I am excited for the last six months of my contract here at Worcester. I am looking to end things on a high.

“I have been in this position before but the fans and team-mates will get the same 100 per cent application to win games for the club.”

Weir will join Glasgow with Warriors’ best wishes, particularly Director of Rugby Alan Solomons who coached him at Edinburgh and brought him to Sixways.

“All of us here at Sixways are sorry to see Duncie take leave of us at the end of the current season,” Solomons said.

“But it is understandable that, at this point in his career, and with the opportunity he has that he has decided to return home.

“Duncie is a fantastic bloke who has made a terrific contribution to Warriors during his time with us and will no doubt continue to do so until the end of the season. He will always be welcome here at Sixways and we wish him all the best for the future.”

Attention will now swiftly turn to his replacement. 

Billy Searle was brought in last year from Wasps and would be the obvious choice but the jury is still out on the nippy playmaker, who has provided a mixed bag of performances since his arrival. 

He is young and still developing at this level, however, and any fly-half Worcester might buy should be someone who can help Searle in that respect.

And with Melani Nanai out for the rest of the campaign, I think the transfer rumours will only continue from here.