Alastair Kellock: Glasgow Warriors captain to retire at end of season

Alastair Kellock has made more than 150 appearances for Glasgow Warriors

Glasgow Warriors captain and former Scotland international Alastair Kellock is to retire from rugby at the end of the season.

Kellock, who has been the Warriors captain for the past nine seasons, has played more than 150 games for the club since joining from Edinburgh.

The 33-year-old is to take up an ambassadorial role with Scottish Rugby.

"I feel the time is right for me to retire and it's an emotional and reflective time for me," he said.

Kellock, capped 56 times for Scotland, told the official Glasgow Warriors website: "When I first joined the club, we were bringing in 1,500 people at Hughenden, but now we're regularly exceeding 6,000 at Scotstoun, which makes me incredibly proud and happy to be part of the journey.

"To have captained the side for nine years is such an honour and I have so many fantastic memories, such as beating Toulouse away from home in Europe and winning against Munster in the Pro12 semi-final last season when my daughter was mascot.

"My new role allows me to help Scottish Rugby grow through the ambassador role, while continuing my involvement at Glasgow Warriors.

Alastair Kellock was capped 56 times for Scotland

"At Glasgow, I'll be looking to continue a number of things I've done as captain, such as developing the culture of the club and mentoring players."

Warriors head coach Gregor Townsend said: "Al has been instrumental in Glasgow's rise over the last five or six years and he's been an excellent role model for our values, with the work he does to improve himself, his team-mates and the club.

"He is very passionate about rugby in Glasgow and it's great that he's moving into an important role with Scottish Rugby and Glasgow Warriors when he retires.

"Al has put his body on the line a lot during his nine years with the club and he's still competing very hard with the other second-rows to be selected ahead of them.

"In my three years at the club, he has been an excellent person to work with - the ideal captain. He has left a fantastic legacy for the future of the club to continue to grow.

"I know how much it would mean for his last season to be even better than last year and he's training really hard to be at his best for our remaining games."