One of the premier full-backs in northern hemisphere rugby will remain a Glasgow Warrior until at least the summer of 2028, after Josh McKay put pen to paper on a new contract extension with Franco Smith’s squad.
Having initially arrived at Scotstoun in November 2021, the affable 27-year-old has swiftly become a firm favourite with the Warrior Nation through his free-flowing attacking style of rugby.
A product of Kaiapoi RFC in New Zealand, McKay has scored 17 tries in 62 appearances for Glasgow Warriors to date, the most recent of which saw him mark his return from injury in style with a Player of the Match-winning performance in Saturday night’s 14-6 victory away to Zebre Parma.
The full-back’s form in the 2023/24 campaign saw him voted as the McCrea Financial Services Player of the Season, collecting the award prior to playing every minute of the BKT URC playoffs in Glasgow’s historic run to title.
A former World Rugby U20 Championship winner with New Zealand in 2017, McKay then caught the eye in Super Rugby for first the Highlanders, then the Crusaders, as well as scoring 11 tries in 11 outings for Canterbury during the 2019 Mitre10 Cup.
Away from rugby, McKay – who will qualify for Scotland on residency grounds in the autumn of 2026 – is also a keen outdoorsman, which he documents on his own personal YouTube channel.
“It was a really easy decision to renew in the end,” McKay told glasgowwarriors.org.
“It’s great to have a good bit of certainty on where I’ll be for the next few years – I love it here, both playing for Glasgow but also living in the city and being able to get out and explore Scotland. To be able to do all of that for the next three years is huge, and I can’t wait to make more memories with the boys.
“I don’t want to look too far ahead, but at the end of the day you want to play as much rugby as you can and you want to win titles. I’d love to play 100 games for this club and I’d love to win more silverware with the boys. We’ve got a really good group here and we know that we’ve got a great chance to do just that over the next few years.
“There’s a massive family feel amongst the club, and the supporters get behind us every chance they get. We don’t have the biggest stadium, but everyone that turns up makes a real difference and we love their support. I love being part of this city, and it really feels like home.
“It’s an awesome spot to be, and we’re all sailing in the same direction to try push us forwards and put us in the best position possible.”
Head Coach Smith added: “Josh has fully bought into what we are looking to build here at Scotstoun, and we are extremely pleased to be able to retain his services for the next couple of seasons.
“His performances are consistently of the highest level, as well as developing into a leader within our environment both on and off the field.
“He is someone whose pride in being a Warrior is evident any time he runs onto the field, and we look forward to seeing more from him in a Glasgow jersey.”
Burst Nibbler
Rugby was introduced to South Africa by British soldiers garrisoned in Cape Town in 1875.
Gothic Slacker
Sport Trivia: Who was the first person from South Africa to win the Olympic 100m sprint? Answer: Reggie Walker. South African Reggie Walker won the Olympic 100m track event in London in 1908. He set a new Olympic record of 10.8 seconds in his semi final, and equalled it in the final. He was just 19yrs and 128 days old when he won the gold medal. Paul Nash equalled the then world record of 10.0 seconds four times in 1968.