Bryan Gossman

Bryan Murray Gossman was born on 5 May 1951 in Ardrossan.

He was educated at Ardrossan Academy and played three seasons in the school first XV and two with Ardrossan Accies before he joined West of Scotland in the 1972-73 season.

He enjoyed more than ten years in the Glasgow district side, playing at both stand-off and scrum-half and was also a product of the Scotland B sides, featuring at stand-off in the teams who defeated their Irish counterparts in Dublin and France B in Aurillac in the 1979-80 season.

A graduate in economics and economic history at Strathclyde University, Gossman , won his first Scotland cap against Wales at Cardiff in 1980.

A fortnight later, his younger brother Jim, also made his Scotland debut, when he came on as a replacement against England at Murrayfield.

Bryan had to wait a further three years to return to the Scotland team, landing two drop-goals in a narrow 15-19 loss to France at the Parc des Princes in Paris.

His final cap was against Wales at Murrayfield a fortnight later, where Scotland, in spite of a Jim Renwick try, were again on the wrong end of a 15-19 scoreline.

Bryan also toured France with Scotland in 1980 and Australia with the national team in 1982.

In his career, Bryan had started as a graduate trainee manager with the Bank of Scotland at Saltcoats, then became a building society manager, first with Bristol & West and then the Dunfermline Building Society.

Most recently he was a senior partner with St James’s Place Wealth Management and was a scratch golfer at the West Kilbride club.

Scottish Rugby extends its sincere condolences to Bryan’s wife Judy, children Peter and Wendy, grandchildren Ruan, Finn and Chloe and all his other family and many friends.

Bryan’s funeral will take place at West Kilbride Parish Church, 45 Main St, West Kilbride KA23 9AW at 10.45am on Wednesday 9 November.  The family has requested that club ties be worn.