Gregor Townsend facts for kids

Gregor Townsend is a famous Scottish rugby union coach and former player. He was born on April 26, 1973. Since 2017, he has been the head coach for the Scotland national rugby team.

Before becoming head coach, Townsend was an assistant coach for Scotland from 2009 to 2012. As a player, he played 82 times for Scotland and twice for the British and Irish Lions. He also coached the Glasgow Warriors and was a player-coach for the Border Reivers. He played rugby in many countries, including Australia, England, France, and South Africa.

As Scotland's coach, he led his team to a historic win at Twickenham in 2021, which was their first victory there in 38 years. He was also the attack coach for the 2021 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa. For his great contributions to rugby, Gregor Townsend received an MBE award in 1999.

Early Life and Education

Gregor Townsend was born in April 1973 in a town called Galashiels in Scotland. He went to school at Galashiels Academy. In 1995, he finished his studies at the University of Edinburgh with a degree in History and Politics.

Playing Rugby: A Look at His Career

Club Rugby: Playing Around the World

Townsend began his rugby journey at his local club, Gala RFC, where his father also played. He started in the junior teams and worked his way up to the senior side.

In 1993, Gregor spent a season in Australia. He played for Warringah in the Shute Shield competition. His team finished as runners-up that year. He returned to Warringah in 1995 after leaving his home club, Gala.

In 1995, Townsend joined the English team Northampton Saints. He helped them get promoted to the top English rugby division in 1996. He stayed with Northampton for two more seasons. After that, he moved to France to play for CA Brive in the French Rugby Union Championship.

After two seasons with Brive, he moved to Castres Olympique in 2000. In his first season with Castres, his team did very well, reaching the semi-finals before losing to Toulouse. After the 2001–02 season, Townsend returned to Scotland to play for Border Reivers.

After he stopped playing international rugby in 2003, Townsend signed with the South African team Sharks in December of that year. He played one season for them before going back to France to play for Montpellier.

In 2005, Townsend came back to Scotland for the second time. He was a player and a coach for the Border Reivers until the team was closed down at the end of the 2006–07 season.

International Rugby: Playing for Scotland

Townsend played for the South of Scotland District in the Scottish Inter-District Championship. He also played for the Scotland 'B' team in 1991 and 1992. He then played for the Scotland 'A' team five times.

Gregor Townsend made his first international appearance for Scotland at just 19 years old. He came on as a substitute against England on March 6, 1993, during the 1993 Five Nations Championship. A year later, he started his second game against Wales in the 1994 Five Nations Championship. He then started the next 35 matches for Scotland.

In December 1996, he played for the Barbarians against Australia at Twickenham. In 1997, he was chosen for the British Lions tour to South Africa. He played in six games, including starting in the first two matches against South Africa.

During the 1999 Five Nations Championship, Townsend achieved something special: he scored a try against every other country in the tournament. He was the first Scottish player since 1925 to do this! His efforts helped Scotland win the Championship for the first time since 1990. Later that year, he played in his first Rugby World Cup. Scotland reached the quarter-finals but lost to New Zealand.

In April 2002, he became Scotland's most capped player, playing more international games than anyone else at that time. He was chosen again for Scotland's World Cup team in 2003. Scotland again lost in the quarter-finals, this time to Australia. This was his last game for Scotland.

The "Toonie Flip"

The "Toonie Flip" is a famous nickname for a special reverse pass Gregor Townsend made. This pass helped Gavin Hastings score a try that led to Scotland's dramatic 23–21 victory against France in Paris in 1995. It was a truly memorable moment in Scottish rugby history!

Playing Achievements

Scotland

• Five / Six Nations Championship
  • Winners: 1999
  • Runners-up: 1993, 1995, 1996
• Calcutta Cup
  • Winners: 2000
• Centenary Quaich
  • Winners: 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001

British and Irish Lions

• South African test series
  • Winners: 1997

Warringah

• Shute Shield
  • Runners-up: 1993

Northampton Saints

• National Division Two
  • Winners: 1996

CA Brive

• Heineken Cup
  • Runners-up: 1998
• Coupe de France
  • Runners-up: 2000

Coaching Career: Leading Teams to Victory

Border Reivers: Starting as a Player-Coach

When Gregor Townsend returned to Scotland in 2005, he became a player-coach for the Border Reivers. This was the start of his coaching journey. After the club closed in 2007, he helped create a program to mentor young Scottish rugby players. He worked with top Scottish clubs like Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors, and also with national youth teams.

Scotland: Assistant Coach Role

In October 2008, Townsend was named assistant coach for the Scotland A national team. In January 2009, he became the backs coach for the main national side. The next season, he became the national attack coach.

During his time as assistant coach, he helped Scotland achieve important wins. They beat Australia for the first time since 1982 and South Africa for the first time since 2002. He was the attack coach during the 2011 Rugby World Cup, where Scotland did not make it past the group stage.

Glasgow Warriors: Head Coach Success

In March 2012, Townsend left his role with the national team to become the head coach of Glasgow Warriors.

In his first season, Glasgow reached the play-offs of the Pro12 league, but they lost in the semi-finals. The next season, Glasgow made it to their first final, beating Munster 16–15. However, they lost to Leinster in the final.

The 2014–15 season was a big one for Glasgow. They just missed out on the knockout stage of the European Rugby Champions Cup. But they made it to their second Pro12 final in a row. This time, they defeated Munster 31–13 to win their first ever Pro12 title! During that season, Glasgow won all their home games in the Pro12, extending their unbeaten run at Scotstoun to 21 games.

In the 2015–16 season, Glasgow could not keep their title. They were knocked out by Connacht in the semi-finals. The 2016–17 season was Townsend's last with Glasgow. He was announced as the new head coach for the Scottish national team starting in June 2017. In his final season, Glasgow did not make the Pro12 play-offs. However, they did reach the knockout stage of the 2016–17 European Rugby Champions Cup for the first time, losing to Saracens in the quarter-finals.

Townsend left Glasgow Warriors with a great record, winning 62% of his games. He coached 147 games and won 91 of them.

Scotland: Head Coach Role

Gregor Townsend became the head coach of the Scotland national rugby team in May 2017. His first game in charge was a 34–13 win against Italy in Singapore. This was followed by a historic first-ever win in Sydney against Australia, with a score of 24–19.

Scotland had a very successful Autumn Internationals campaign. They beat Samoa 44–38 and Australia 53–24, which was a record winning margin over Australia. They also came very close to beating New Zealand, losing only 17–22.

Despite a strong autumn, Scotland started Townsend's first Six Nations Championship with a loss to Wales. However, they bounced back in round 2, beating France 32–26. In round 3, Townsend led Scotland to their first victory over England since 2010, winning 25–13. This was their biggest winning margin over England in a Six Nations game. Scotland finished third in the tournament, their highest position since 2013.

The 2018 June tests saw a young Scottish team travel to the Americas. They won 48–10 against Canada. However, the United States then beat Scotland 30–29, which was their first win over Scotland in the professional era. Despite this, Scotland went on to achieve a record victory over Argentina, winning 44–15.

Townsend's second Six Nations campaign in 2019 started well with a 33–20 win over Italy. After some close losses, Scotland faced England at Twickenham in the final game. England started very strongly, leading 31–0. But Scotland made an incredible comeback, scoring many tries to take the lead 38–31 with only minutes left. England then scored a last-minute try and converted it, making the final score a thrilling 38–38 draw. This draw allowed Scotland to keep the Calcutta Cup. It was also the highest-scoring draw and the biggest comeback in rugby history!

British & Irish Lions: Attack Coach

Gregor Townsend was asked to join the coaching staff for the 2017 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, but he turned it down because he had just become Scotland's head coach. However, he was later named as the attack coach for the 2021 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa.

Coaching Achievements

• Calcutta Cup
  • Winners: 2018, 2019*, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 (*retained through a draw)
• Auld Alliance Trophy
  • Winners: 2018, 2020, 2021
• Hopetoun Cup
  • Winners: June 2017, November 2017, 2021, 2024
• Douglas Horn Trophy
  • Winners: 2018, 2024
• Doddie Weir Cup
  • Winners: 2020, 2023, 2024, 2025
• Cuttitta Cup
  • Winners: 2022, 2023, 2025

Other Coaching Honours

Scotland (as assistant coach)

• Centenary Quaich
  • Winners: 2010
• Hopetoun Cup
  • Winners: 2009

Glasgow Warriors

• Pro12
  • Winners: 2015
  • Runners-up: 2014
• 1872 Cup
  • Winners: 2013, 2014, 2017

Recognition and Personal Life

Gregor Townsend was awarded an MBE in 1999 for his important contributions to the sport of rugby. He is married and has spoken openly about the pressures he faced in his career, showing his support for mental health awareness.

See also

In Spanish: Gregor Townsend para niños