Andy Buist

Andy was born in Hampshire and until he was 16 went to the same school (Lord Wandsworth College) as Jonny Wilkinson, at which point his dad was transferred to RAF Boulmer in Northumberland. After finishing his education in Alnwick, Andy joined the Falcons Academy. He debuted – with a start - for the first team against Leeds in a 30-30 draw at Headingley in March 2004 and was named Falcons Academy ‘Player of the Year’ for the 2003-04 season. After six first team starts in the winter of 2004-05, he was sidelined for the rest of that season with anterior cruciate knee ligament damage picked up after coming on as a replacement in the brutal Heineken Cup encounter in Perpignan in January 2005. Cruelly, this ruled him out of the England squad for the U21 Six Nations and World Cup.

A welcome return to full fitness last season saw him appear as a substitute at Netherdale against Borders in the ECC at the end of October 2005, and he went onto make 17 appearances in all last season, getting his first try in the return fixture against Borders at Kingston Park in January 2006. Converted by Rob Andrew to No.8 for handful of games in the second half of the season, Andy has previously said, "I like to run with the ball, but I have been getting involved with the pick-and-run game and the driving, which is making me a more all-round player”. Buist has done enough to warrant elevation from the Senior Academy to the first team squad for the 2006-07 campaign.

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