Newest Warriors savour the moment
19 Oct 2026In the October sunshine that bathed the Corpacq Stadium on Saturday afternoon, there won’t have been many smiles that shone brighter than those on the faces of the two newest Glasgow Warriors.
A seven-try, bonus-point 47-27 win over Sale Sharks not only served as the ideal start to a new Investec Champions Cup campaign, but also marked the debuts of Ruwald van der Merwe and Tavi Tuipulotu in perfect fashion in front of a vocal contingent of the travelling supporters.
For the 27-year-old van der Merwe, an all-action 55-minute display at the base of the scrum was exactly what the Warrior Nation were hoping to see from their South African summer signing.
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“I’m absolutely honoured,” he told Premier Sports following the full-time whistle.
“I’m so glad I could get this opportunity, and so thankful towards Franco and the whole squad.
“The whole squad’s been great since arriving in Glasgow, so yeah, I’m absolutely stoked.”
“Franco [Smith] said no pressure, just carry, tackle, and do what you do – there’s no obligations for now. I’m just absolutely grateful to get my debut and to have it in this fashion.”
Having not even been expected to take to the field earlier in the week, a rollercoaster week for the youngest Tuipulotu brother was capped in style when the hooker crossed for his first try in Glasgow colours just 10 minutes after coming off the bench for his club debut.
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A late inclusion in the matchday 23 after the withdrawal of Gregor Hiddleston from the replacements, there was no missing the beaming grin that adorned Tuipulotu’s face following the final whistle.
“It’s not the way I wanted to get it [with Hiddleston having to withdraw], but I’m so grateful for the opportunity,” he said.
“I’ve been on the sidelines for nearly 18 months [after suffering a patella tendon injury prior to arriving in Glasgow], and to get the dub like that with a good group of boys and my brother on the field, it can’t get better than that.
“To stick on the back of that maul and get some points on the board, too- what a feeling.”
