From 1976 to 1984 Boyd played in the New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership for the Western Suburbs Magpies, then the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles. He was selected to go on the 1978 Kangaroo tour and his hard running saw him emerge as one of the star forwards on the tour, culminating with him forcing his way into the test team for the final two Ashes tests against Great Britain. Boyd made his test début for the Kangaroos when selected on the bench for the second Ashes test at Bradford's Odsal Stadium.