Gregor Townsend

Gregor Townsend

Full name	Gregor Peter John Townsend
Date of birth	(1973-04-26) 26 April 1973
Place of birth	Edinburgh, Scotland
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight	93 kg (14 st 9 lb)
School	Galashiels Academy
University	University of Edinburgh Aston University
Rugby union career
Current status
Position(s)	Head Coach
Playing career
Position	Fly-half, centre or fullback
Amateur clubs
Years	Club / team
1990-95 1993,1995	Gala RFC Warringah Rugby Club Gala Star Vets
correct as of 24 June 2014.
Professional / senior clubs
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
1995-98 1998-2000 2000-02 2002-04 2004 2004-05 2005-2007	Northampton Saints Brive Castres Border Reivers Natal Sharks Montpellier Border Reivers	64 48 51 19 9 30 37
National team(s)
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
1990-95 1993–2003 1997	Barbarians Scotland British and Irish Lions French Barbarians	4 82 2 1	(164) (0)
correct as of 24 June 2014.
Coaching career
Years	Club / team
2005-07 2009–12 2012–present	Border Reivers (player-coach) Scotland (Asst) Glasgow Warriors

Gregor Peter John Townsend MBE (born 26 April 1973 in Galashiels) is a former Scottish rugby union player and now the Head Coach of the Glasgow Warriors. Townsend represented both Scotland and the British and Irish Lions winning 82 caps for Scotland (twice as captain) and two for the Lions. He has played club rugby in Scotland, Australia, England, South Africa, and France.

Playing career

Townsend was first with Gala RFC, coming through from their ranks from the mini section. He won his first full cap for Scotland in March 1993. In the 1999 Five Nations Championship, Townsend scored a try against every other country, becoming the first Scotsman since 1925 to achieve this feat. His efforts helped Scotland become champions.

In 1995 Gregor joined Northampton Saints and then joined Brive in 1998. In 2000 he stayed in France but moved to Castres. In 2004, free to travel the world after being relieved of Scotland duties, he represented the Natal Sharks in the then Super 12 and played the 2004–05 season with Montpellier in France. He returned to the Borders for the 2005–06 season as a player and coach.

Coaching

Townsend was appointed Backs Coach to the Scotland national team in 2009. He was then appointed Attack Coach the following season. In 2012 Townsend was appointed by the SRU to the position of Head Coach to the Glasgow Warriors.

When Townsend took over Glasgow Warriors from Sean Lineen the side had just been to play-offs in the Pro12 the previous season, finishing 4th in the league. He made consistent progress in the league with Glasgow Warriors; in his first year they finished 3rd. In the 2013-14 season the team finished 2nd and made it to the end of season Pro12 play-off final losing to Leinster in Dublin. In his third season, 2014–15, the Warriors finished 1st in the Pro12 League and beat Munster in the play-off final, becoming the first Scottish side to lift the trophy. Since the Pro12 officially started in 2011-12 Glasgow Warriors are the only team in the league to have made the play-offs in every year.

Toonie flip

This is the name of the magical reverse pass which Gregor gave to Gavin Hastings for Scotland to register a dramatic and famous last-minute 23–21 victory against France in Paris in 1995.

Honours and awards

Townsend was awarded a MBE in the 1999 Queen's Birthday Honours List for services to rugby.

Bibliography

• Bath, Richard (ed.) The Complete Book of Rugby (Seven Oaks Ltd, 1997 ISBN 1-86200-013-1)
• Townsend, Gregor Talk of the Toony: The Autobiography of Gregor Townsend (HarperSport, 2007 ISBN 978-0-00-725113-1)

External links

• Townsend sets date for retirement, BBC, 2 June 2006
• Townsend launches kids' summer camps, The Scotsman, 28 June 2006
• Gregor Townsend's Sporting Heroes Profile
• Townsend part Gregor groan, part Merlin (Telegraph, 9 March 2003)