John Manson
John Manson (John James Manson), born 22 June 1968 in Bridge of Allan, Scotland, is a retired Scottish rugby union player who played as a prop. He played for Hillfoots, Dundee HSFP, Stirling County and West of Scotland FC at amateur level. While at Dundee, he and front-row partner Danny Herrington helped Tom Smith break into the club’s first team. He was part of Dundee HSFP’s era and joined in their 1992 unbeaten tour of New Zealand, the first by a British club side.
When rugby turned professional in 1996, Manson played for Caledonia Reds, and when the Reds were folded into Glasgow, he joined Glasgow (later Glasgow Warriors). In 1998–99 he played in friendlies for Glasgow against teams like Richmond, the Māori All Blacks and Fiji, and he also faced touring sides such as the ACT Brumbies.
International career: Manson earned seven Scotland A caps and played for Scotland Select and Development XVs against the touring All Blacks and Springboks in 1993 and 1994. He won his only full Scotland cap in 1995 as a replacement against England at Twickenham. He was part of Scotland’s 1995 World Cup squad and was an unused replacement in the 89–0 win over the Ivory Coast.
Post-playing career: In 1993 he served as the SRU Regional Development Manager for Central and West Lothian and was assistant manager for the National Under-18 squad. In 2019 he became Rugby Operations Manager for Old Glory DC, and in 2021 he returned to Scotland as Team Manager for Glasgow Warriors.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 14:43 (CET).