Old Glory DC signed Glasgow Warriors Co-Captain Callum Gibbins to a player-coaching contract. The 32-year-old flanker is 6’1 and 225 lbs. His coaching responsibilities include the forwards and defense.
Cally is from New Plymouth, New Zealand, and attended Inglewood High School before enrolling at Massey University in 2007 with a Bachelor’s Degree of Sport and Exercise.
He worked his way through the Manawatu ranks playing for their A team from 2009-2011 before playing for the Turbos until 2017. He also was part of the Hurricanes wider training squad in both 2013 and 2014 before playing for the Super Rugby Wellington Hurricanes from 2015-2017, and making 25 appearances and scoring 3 tries.
From 2017-2020 he played in the Scottish Premiership, first for a season with Stirling County and then two years for the Glasgow Hawks. During the same period, he played for the PRO 14 Glasgow Warriors, and as coach-captain of the team his final two years. He was named Pro14 Dream Team Captain for 2017-2018.
He now joins Old Glory DC for 2021 as a player-coach.
Old Glory DC Comments
“Having Callum join us is a major step for Old Glory,” said Andrew Douglas. “He has been a premier player in the Pro 14 for a few years now and has captained Glasgow Warriors through a successful period in their history. His experience with Super Rugby, Mitre 10, and Pro 14 will be valuable to the squad in 2021.”
“I’m excited to join Old Glory and help the club establish itself as a top club within the MLR as well as more globally,” said Gibbins. “I’m looking forward to being involved in rugby again and being part of a club that has so much potential with a genuine opportunity to create some history and win a championship. It’s a great opportunity to share the things I have learned throughout my career and, hopefully, I can help grow the players and the club. I am beyond grateful for this opportunity, and I can’t wait to get over there and meet everyone. I feel I still have a lot of rugby left in me and am looking forward to it being a regular part of my everyday life again.”
Next year, Gibbins will also have the opportunity to boot up regularly in a different way – as an assistant coach.
“This will be his first coaching gig, but he has worked with some of the best coaches in the world such as Dave Rennie, who speaks very highly of Callum and his potential as a coach,” said Coach Douglas. “From a personal point of view, it will be great having a fellow Kiwi alongside to bounce ideas off.”
“It’s been a strange time the last few months with COVID, so I have a real appreciation for how lucky I am to be able to go back into a professional environment, and I want to make the most of it. Additionally, I have always had a desire to experience living in the USA. It is quite amazing to get the chance to further my career with Old Glory in Washington, DC.”
Fans will be able to see Callum Gibbins take the pitch during opening weekend on March 20th. Sign up for our newsletter and follow the team during the 2021 MLR campaign.
Other Articles
DJCoil Rugby articles by Doug Coil are also available on Facebook. Other Social Media sites to follow or subscribe include Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube for interviews.
