Glasgow Warriors have secured the services of Newcastle Falcons lock Tim Swinson who will move to the Scotstoun-based club at the end of the season.
Swinson has racked up 82 Premiership appearances since making his Falcons debut in 2007, and the 25-year-old, who was named Newcastle Player of the Season, has continued to impress during the current campaign.
Swinson, a one-time Australian Grand finalist with Sydney University, is eligible to play for Scotland, courtesy of a maternal grandmother from Glasgow. He has signed a two-year contract with the Warriors, taking him up to the end of May 2014.
he said: "I'm really pleased to have signed for a club with the ambition and bright future of Glasgow Warriors.
"They've made real progress in the Pro12 this season, and with the signings and re-signings they've made, they're clearly very determined to build on that and achieve success.
"There is a great team environment at the club, and everything I've seen and heard about the Warriors suggests that's very much the case in Glasgow as well. It's going to be a really positive place and team to be part of. I leave the Falcons on good terms and the move has been handled well on both sides," he added.
Warriors head coach Sean Lineen welcomed Swinson's signing, saying: "We see this as a very positive step in our planning for next season. Tim is a player who has consistently stood out in one of the toughest testing grounds for a second row forward, the English Premiership.
"He's a battle-hardened competitor who relishes the physical side of the game, and he's not one for taking a backward step with the pressure's really on.
"We're delighted to have him on board. He'll give us another great option in an area of the team where we've already got a good number of guys challenging for jerseys, and it's another strong piece in the jigsaw for what should be a really exciting chapter in the club's history," he said.
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