Gregor Townsend was born in April 1973 in Galashiels. On graduating from the University of Edinburgh with a History and Politics degree, he started his rugby career with Gala RFC. He won his first full cap for Scotland v England at Twickenham in March 1993, and went on to become the most capped Scottish international of all time. He was also a member of the triumphant British Lions squad to South Africa in 1997. He was awarded an MBE in 1999.
