Gary Armstrong

Who is Gary Armstrong?

Gary Armstrong is a former Scottish rugby union player who played scrum-half. He played for Jed-Forest RFC, Newcastle Falcons, The Borders and represented Scotland and the British Lions. His nickname is the Border Terrier. In Jonny Wilkinson's book How to Play Rugby My Way Armstrong is given a similar nickname–"the scrap-yard dog"– because Wilkinson said that he had never met anyone as "tough as him".

Richard Bath writes of him:

"...despite his apparently painful shyness, Armstrong has proved throughout his career to be obsessively focussed once out on the pitch. A relatively small man, Armstrong tackles way over his weight and combines this with quick service to his backs and an uncanny ability to break around the fringes just as easily from the first-phase as from ruck or maul. Although Armstrong failed to shine on the victorious 1989 Lions tour of Australia, his gritty nature stood him in good stead when the chips were down in 1990, that famous year for Scotland... he perhaps more than any other player was the on-field catalyst for Scotland's 13-7 win in the Grand Slam decider against the Auld Enemy England at Murrayfield."