Glasgow Warriors confirm 2025/26 Academy intake
Glasgow Warriors can confirm the 23 young players who will make up club’s academy for the 2025/26 season.
Of the 23, five are new faces with Seb Stephen, Jackson Rennie, Dylan Cockburn, Jack Oliver and Cameron van Wyk added to the group that will train alongside Franco Smith’s squad.
Stephen is already familiar to Warriors fans having been drafted into a senior squad for the final game of the 2024/25 regular season putting in a standout performance against Leinster at the Aviva Stadium.
Second-row Cockburn joins from Melrose where he has been playing in the Arnold Clark Premiership. He also featured for Scotland in the opening two matches of this year’s World Rugby U20 Championship.
Jack Oliver joins from Munster where he had already experienced senior rugby. Like Stephen, the scrum-half spent time in the Warriors environment at the end of least season and played for a Glasgow Warriors U23 side away in Treviso.
Similarly, Ayr RFC and Scotland U20 winger van Wyk pulled on a Warriors shirt for the club’s A team fixture against Black Lion in May and will return to Scotstoun full time for the coming season.
Jackson Rennie currently plays for Ellon RFC’s U18 side. The young prop has previously been named in a Scotland U18 Development squad and represented Glasgow Warriors U18 during the February 2025 inter-city fixtures against Edinburgh.
Of the existing squad members, Macenzzie Duncan and Kerr Johnston have already made their professional debuts for the Warriors. Duncan’s form to the back end of last season so impressive that he forced his way onto the bench for the club’s URC Semi-Final against Leinster.
11 of the 23 are currently in Kenny Murray’s U20 squad competing at the World Rugby U20 Championship in Italy.
Glasgow Warriors Head Coach Franco Smith said: “We are excited by the potential within this group and are looking forward to them learning from and bringing energy to our environment this coming season.
“The academy has been a successful breeding ground for talent in recent years, last season Jare Oguntibeju and Duncan Munn both signed pro contracts having forced their way into the senior side.
“With a slightly smaller senior squad next season there will be likely be more opportunity for some of these players to pull on a Glasgow jersey and I hope they are excited and motivated to do so.”
Glasgow Warriors 2025/26 Academy Intake
Joe Roberts – Hooker
Sep Stephen – Hooker
Ollie McKenna – Prop
Jackson Rennie – Prop
Jake Shearer – Prop
Ryan Burke – Lock
Dan Halkon – Lock
Dylan Cockburn – Back Row
Macenzzie Duncan – Back Row
Archie McMichael – Back Row
Jonny Morris – Back Row
Rory Purvis – Back Row
Brent Jackson – Scrum Half
Jack Oliver – Scrum Half
Matthew Urwin – Fly Half
Alex Bryden – Centre
Ben Salmon – Centre
Kerr Johnston – Centre
Johnny Ventisei – Centre
Kerr Yule – Centre
Harry Provan – Back Three
Fergus Watson – Back Three
Cameron van Wyk – Back Three
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