Norman Bruce (28 June 1932 – 28 March 1992) was a

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

international player.

Rugby Union career

Amateur career

Bruce first played for Gala YM and then

Gala Gala may refer to: Music * ''Gala'' (album), a 1990 album by the English alternative rock band Lush * Gala (singer), Italian singer and songwriter *'' Gala – The Collection'', a 2016 album by Sarah Brightman * GALA Choruses, an association of ...

. The Berwickshire News and General Advertiser of 1 February 1955 notes:

There will be no early return of Norman Bruce as a regular player for Gala. The popular Gala hooker, who is now a sergeant in the R.A.O.C., has signed on with the Army for a 22-year engagement. Bruce has been doing well in Army Rugby and is hooking for an Army XV. against the Civil Service in a side which includes seven internationalists. One of his props will be Hughie McLeod, the Hawick cap. The permanent loss of Bruce is a big blow to the Netherdale club.

He played for Blackheath.Scotland. The Essential History of Rugby Union. Nick Oswald and John Griffiths. Headline Book Publishing. 2003 He brought the Blackheath side back to Gala shortly after he moved to England and they won the

Gala Sevens Gala Sevens is an annual rugby sevens event held by Gala RFC, in Galashiels, Scotland. The Gala Sevens was the second of the Border Sevens tournaments to be instated in 1884, just behind the Melrose Sevens in 1883. Held around the start of ever ...

that year. While he was back in Galashiels he managed to sneak in a match for Gala YM over Hawick YM in the Border Junior League. He then played for the

Army Rugby Union The Army Rugby Union (ARU) is the governing body for rugby union in the British Army and a constituent body of the Rugby Football Union (RFU). The ARU was formed on 31 December 1906 and marked the fulfilment of Lieutenant J. E. C. "Birdie" Partr ...

. He played for the

Royal Army Ordnance Corps The Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC) was a corps of the British Army. At its renaming as a Royal Corps in 1918 it was both a supply and repair corps. In the supply area it had responsibility for weapons, armoured vehicles and other military equi ...

, captained the Army side, and played for Combined Services. He then played for London Scottish.

Provincial career

He played for South of Scotland District in 1955. He played for

Whites Trial White is a racial classification of people generally used for those of predominantly European ancestry. It is also a skin color specifier, although the definition can vary depending on context, nationality, ethnicity and point of view. De ...

against

Blues Trial Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

in 1957, while still with Blackheath. After impressing in that trial match he was selected for

Scotland Probables Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

against

Scotland Possibles Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

two weeks later. He played for

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

. The Hampshire County side usually played him out of position as a prop, though he did captain the side.

International career

He was capped by

31 times between 1958 and 1964. He played for the Barbarians in 1957.

Military career

He joined the

around 1955–56. He was posted to Brunei as a Major. He was later promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and ran the Army School of Physical Training, before moving to Regimental Wing COD Donnington.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bruce, Norman 1932 births 1992 deaths Rugby union players from Edinburgh Scottish rugby union players Scotland international rugby union players Whites Trial players Scotland Probables players Rugby union hookers Hampshire County RFU players Gala YM players Army rugby union players Blackheath F.C. players London Scottish F.C. players Gala RFC players South of Scotland District (rugby union) players