Jack Dempsey's Scotland future in doubt as lure of Japan signals exit

The No 8 is one of the national side’s most influential players and won his 39th cap in the Six Nations defeat by Ireland on Saturday.

It has now emerged that contract talks with Glasgow and Scottish Rugby have broken down and Dempsey is to move to an unnamed club in Japan when his current deal expires at the end of the season.

That makes his continued selection for Scotland tricky but not impossible.

The national side are next in action in July when they play in the inaugural Nations Championship against Argentina, South Africa and Fiji.

The tournament then continues in November with home games against New Zealand, Australia and Japan. Those autumn fixtures will coincide with the Japanese league’s pre-season when Dempsey’s new club are likely to want their star signing available.

Higher salary on offer

Dempsey’s move east is also likely to make him unavailable for next year’s Six Nations, with the Japanese domestic season running from December to May.

A similar scenario unfolded when George Turner left Glasgow at the end of the 2023-24 season to join Kobelco Kobe Steelers in Japan Rugby League One. The Scotland hooker did not play in the 2025 Six Nations and only returned to the national squad when he left Japan to join Harlequins in the English Premiership.

Scotland coach Gregor Townsend could request Dempsey’s release on a game-by-game basis but the travelling involved and the clash of schedules would make it logistically difficult.

Depending on how long the player spends in Japan, his participation in next year’s Rugby World Cup in Australia could also be in doubt.

Dempsey, who turns 32 next month, was unable to agree terms on a new contract with Glasgow and Scottish Rugby. The Scotsman understands that the salary terms in Japan were far higher than what Murrayfield chiefs were prepared to offer.

The move to Japan will be a real concern for Townsend given Dempsey’s strengths as a ball-carrying game-breaker. He has been one of the national side’s best players since making his debut in 2022 after switching allegiance from Australia for whom he won 14 caps. He qualified through his Scottish grandfather.

A gutsy back-row forward with an eye for a try, Dempsey returned to the Scotland squad for the final two matches of the Six Nations despite ripping a muscle in his bicep in the win over England in round two.

His departure will also be keenly felt by Glasgow who are losing Huw Jones and Adam Hastings at the end of the season, with the backs having agreed deals to join Toulon and Montpellier, respectively.

It follows on from last season when the Warriors lost a number of high-profile players including Tom Jordan, Jack Mann, Sebastian Cancelliere and Henco Venter.