Daryl Gibson, the former New Zealand centre, has confirmed that he will be joining Glasgow in plenty of time for the team’s opening match of the season, although it will be three weeks into the season before he and the fans get their first taste of the new-style Firhill Stadium where Connacht will be the opponents.

“I’m looking forward to helping the team develop further after last season’s encouraging performances,” Gibson said. “I’m determined to make Glasgow more successful. The move to Firhill is exciting and we’ll hopefully get more people supporting the professional game in Glasgow.”

Gibson’s arrival from Leicester, where he was vice-captain, has been on the cards for months, but it was only yesterday that the club were able to confirm that the two-year deal has been finalised, bringing the 32-year-old, who has won 19 caps with the All Blacks, to the city where he is a key part of plans for the early section of the season when the World Cup players are away.

To minimise the effect of the tournament in France on the Magners League, it will not start for the Scottish and Irish clubs until the third weekend in September, two weeks later than usual, and means that players will be back with their clubs after no more than four rounds of matches, even if one of the competing countries reaches the final - sooner for those knocked out earlier.

Edinburgh take their place in the fixture list, committing the club and the governing union to push their differences to one side long enough to make sure there is some action on the field, a development welcomed yesterday by Lynn Howells, the club coach.

“I just hope that people remember that this has to be all about the rugby,” he said. “You have to have the political stuff but it is the sport that is important, and I am really excited by the prospects for this season.”

His team have a tough start, with a trip to Dublin, followed by a visit from Ulster and a journey to Swansea to play the Ospreys, pitting them against the past two league winners in the opening three weeks. That schedule is almost easy, compared with the opening facing Gibson and his Glasgow teammates, who start with the top two from last season, Cardiff and the Ospreys, both away, before the Firhill debut.