Huw Jones explains decision to leave Glasgow Warriors and Scotland’s line in the sand moment

Centre sought advice from international team-mate

Huw Jones has enjoyed memorable moments in a Glasgow Warriors jersey and is determined to have some more before he leaves the club at the end of the season.

The Lions centre has agreed a two-year deal with Toulon and will link up with his Scotland team-mate Ben White at the Top 14 club. Jones sought White’s advice before signing the contract and will now realise a long-held ambition to play in the French top flight.

It will be a wrench to sever ties with Glasgow who are going great guns at the moment and Jones acknowledged he would be leaving “one of the best teams in Europe”. He is determined to go out on a high as the Warriors chase honours on two fronts; they are currently top of the URC and through to the last 16 of the Champions Cup as the second-best ranked team in the competition.

Huw Jones, centre, flanked by Blair Kinghorn and George Horne during a Scotland training session at the Oriam. | SNS Group

“It's a big move but one we're really excited for, and all the boys have been chuffed for me,” said Jones who joined up with the Scotland camp this week ahead of the Six Nations opener against Italy in Rome a week on Saturday.

“It's also a difficult decision leaving a club that's doing really well. I feel like we're one of the best teams in Europe. But I think that just gives me more motivation to achieve something with Glasgow this year.

“We've given ourselves a good opportunity. We've put ourselves in the right place to do that, obviously that will come later in the season, we're here to focus on Scotland at the moment.”

It’s a short career

Jones, who has just returned from a long lay-off following surgery on his Achilles, enjoyed a stellar summer with the British and Irish Lions, playing in all three Test matches as the tourists beat the Wallabies to clinch the series. His stock has never been higher and, at 32, this is probably the ideal time to land a lucrative contract in the big-spending Top 14.

“I've always been pretty open about the fact that I would love to play in France,” he said. “So this has come at a great time. I feel like I'm ready for this opportunity. It's a short career you have to capitalise on where you're at and the offers you get.”

Franco Smith was keen to keep hold of Jones but the Glasgow coach wished his player all the best when it became clear he wanted to move.

“He understood my reasons and although the club have then got to potentially recruit someone, again, he was happy for me as well,” said Jones.

Jones’ departure will mean the end of his club partnership with Sione Tuipulotu but the centre pairing is likely to continue with Scotland. The break-up of Glasgow’s ‘Huwipulotu’ combination made for a sad day when Smith revealed the news to the Warriors squad.

“I was next to Sione in the huddle and I'm sure he was crying!” said Jones with a mischievous grin.

Huw Jones and Sione Tuipulotu have been a formidable partnerships for Glasgow Warriors, Scotland and the Lions but Jones' imminent departure will bring to an end their centre pairing at club level. | SNS Group

Both centres will switch their focus to international duties now and there is a determination to atone for a disappointing autumn which saw Scotland blow a golden chance to beat New Zealand and then reached its nadir against Argentina as Gregor Townsend’s side squandered a 21-0 lead at home, conceding five tries in the final 23 minutes to lose 33-24.

Jones missed the November series as he recovered from surgery but senses a change in the camp since the Argentina collapse which saw the team booed. He worked for BBC Radio as an analyst for the All Blacks game and said it gave him an insight into the supporters’ frustrations.

Argentina game was ‘really frustrating’

“You get a great view from that gantry, and I think I said it at the time, I can totally understand the way fans sometimes feel during games, when you can see maybe a glaring opportunity and it's not taken. I assure you it's different on the field. It's not as simple as that.

“It was a different experience, but I enjoyed it, and what I've really noticed this week is how much further along this group's come, whereas that New Zealand and that Argentina game especially were really frustrating. I think the learnings that have come out of that, you can't ignore that, and I think there's changes that have been made and improvements that have been made with processes, with the mentality of the squad, and I think I've seen that this week, because obviously I've been away for a while, so it's been really good to come into a new and improved environment.

“This squad's been together for a while now. It’s about knowing each other well enough that we're able to let your guard down and have honest conversations about improving. I think that's the only way you can improve, is when everyone is open to it and not making excuses, and not that we haven't really made excuses, but things could go unchecked.

“And I think the whole thing of games slipping away from us, I said before, the Argentina ones, the really obvious one, that's huge, it was 21 points, and then we threw away that lead. But I think it had happened in the past that we hadn't really dealt with it properly. I think of two Wales games, [in the 2024 and 2025] Six Nations, which we won, but it was a lot closer than it should have been.

“Things like that, and I think after the autumn, I feel like we've drawn a line in the sand and that shouldn't happen again, that we've made the changes now, where as previously, maybe we'd focus on other things and thought ‘it's fine, we won that game’ and it’s gone unchecked.”

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