Alexander Roy Armstrong

Alex Armstrong was a diminutive backrow forward who had a short rugby career in the early 1920s.

While he was born at Warren, in the Orana Region of New South Wales, little else is known of Armstrong’s early life. Details of his National Service indicate that Armstrong, a surveyor by trade and living in Strathfield, served three years in the Militia before he enlisted with the Australian Imperial Force for Active Service Abroad in October 1918 only to be discharged a month later “in consequence of expiration period of enlistment”.

Armstrong learned his rugby with Sydney’s YMCA club “and was their best forward for many seasons, playing in the breakaway position.” However, a switch to Western Suburbs in 1922 provided Armstrong with his first taste of representative rugby when chosen as a reserve for New South Wales Second Fifteen (Metropolitan) to face the Maori at Manly Oval. A month later Armstrong was named in the starting side for Metropolis (Metropolitan Union) against New Zealand however he was a late withdrawal, replaced by Easts’ Bill Douglas.

In 1923 Armstrong continued to press for a state debut. He was named in ASB Walker’s XV to play TSR Davis’ XV in the early fixture to the first NSW vs. Maori ‘Test’ and then started for Metropolitan XV against the tourists where he was said to have ‘played so well in the mud’. That performance, in which he showed ‘distinct promise’, earned Armstrong selection on the subsequent tour to New Zealand. Armstrong debuted in the opening fixture, the 16-29 loss to Wellington-Manawatu and a week later was named to face New Zealand in Dunedin. Although he did not know it at the time that match was also Armstrong’s official Test debut after an ARU decision in 1994 elevated the remaining 34 New South Wales matches played against international opposition in the 1920-28 period to Test status (the five 1927/28 Waratahs’ internationals were given Test status in 1986).

While retained for the second Test in Christchurch, Armstrong suffered a ‘severe facial injury’ against Auckland before he was demoted to the bench behind Ted Greatorex for the final international. In early 1924 Armstrong announced, ‘that for business reasons he has been forced to give up the game.’

Highlights

1923

Armstrong made his Test debut on the side of the scrum in the first Test 9-19 loss to New Zealand at Carisbrook. He maintained his position for the second international 6-34 loss at Lancaster Park.