Scottish-qualified hooker to depart Edinburgh after signing for URC rivals

The move was confirmed by both clubs on Thursday with McBurney set to bring an end to his three-year spell at The Hive having made 24 appearances since joining from Ulster in 2021. He most recently represented Gloucester, where he moved on loan in March, playing three times for the Gallagher Premiership side and scoring a try on his first start against Bristol Bears.

McBurney, who hails from Ballymena in Ireland but qualifies for Scotland through a grandmother from Cadder in Lanarkshire, was called up to the Scotland squad in the summer of 2021 but has not yet been capped at senior international level having represented Ireland at Under-18s and Under-20s.

The 27-year-old said: “I’m really looking forward to making the move to Connacht next season. I’ve had positive discussions with Pete [Wilkins] and his team there and I’m really impressed by where the club is going and the potential for me to make an impact there. I can’t wait to move back to Ireland, get settled and help the club achieve success.”

Connacht head coach Pete Wilkins added: “Adam is a player with a huge amount of experience gathered in a relatively short period. He’s still only 27 but has played URC, Premiership, Champions Cup and Challenge Cup rugby so will have plenty to offer us. We look forward to welcoming him to Connacht and providing an environment for him to continue to grow his game, and I’ve no doubt he will become an important member of the squad next season.”

Meanwhile, Glasgow Warriors will head to Italy to face Zebre in a pre-season friendly ahead of the 2024-25 campaign. The URC sides will meet on Friday, August 30 (kick-off 19:30) at the Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi in Parma.

It is a repeat of last year's friendly when the teams met at Scotstoun. Glasgow have already confirmed three new signings for next season – Scotland fly-half Adam Hastings, British and Irish Lions prop Rory Sutherland and Exeter tight-head Patrick Schickerling.