Ian McIntosh (24 September 1938 – 5 April 2023) was a Zimbabwean–South African

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

coach. He served as head coach for the Springboks during 1993 and 1994. McIntosh grew up near

Bulawayo Bulawayo (, ; ) is the second largest city in Zimbabwe, and the largest city in the country's Matabeleland region. The city's population is disputed; the 2022 census listed it at 665,940, while the Bulawayo City Council claimed it to be about ...

Matabeleland Matabeleland is a region located in southwestern Zimbabwe that is divided into three provinces: Matabeleland North, Bulawayo, and Matabeleland South. These provinces are in the west and south-west of Zimbabwe, between the Limpopo and Zambezi ...

, Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). McIntosh never played for his country ( Rhodesian national rugby union team) as a player, but became acquainted with coaching in the 1970s under the tutelage of the then

Welsh Rugby Union The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU; ) is the governing body of rugby union in the country of Wales, recognised by the sport's international governing body, World Rugby. The WRU is responsible for the running of rugby in Wales, overseeing 320 member clu ...

coaching director Ray Williams. When his coaching career ended, McIntosh was a Springbok selector for 13 years and he also served as a mentor for numerous South African national coaches in the senior and junior ranks. He also stayed in touch with the game through his involvement with the South African Rugby Legends Association (SARLA). In 2013 Ian McIntosh became the first South African and the first Durban North resident to win the IRB’s Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service, recognising his achievement in changing the face of rugby in South Africa. McIntosh died from cancer on 5 April 2023, at the age of 84.

Teams Coached

National

McIntosh later took charge of the former Zimbabwe national rugby union team, although his biggest achievement to date was taking charge of the South African national side. The year before the 1995 World Cup, he was sacked as national coach following a series defeat to the

All Blacks The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks, is the representative men's national team in the sport of rugby union for the nation of New Zealand, which is considered the country's national sport. Famed for th ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

in mid-1994. In October of that year, Kitch Christie accepted an offer to take over from McIntosh.

Natal rugby and the Sharks

McIntosh coached the team during the late 1980s and early 1990s. He became a national figure after Natal won their first

Currie Cup The Currie Cup () is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces. Although it is the premier domestic competition, four South African franc ...

in 1990, their centenary year. His success with Natal led to him coaching the Springbok side. Four-time Currie Cup winner as Coach. The Sharks have named their main entrance gate at Kings Park after former coach Ian McIntosh.

In popular culture

The Ian McIntosh Story is a Supersport documentary available on Showmax, 'In bestowing the prestigious Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service in 2013, World Rugby lauded Ian for his outstanding coaching and management, this is his story'.

External links

South Africa RugbyScrumSpringboks Legends for Hartsfield Rugby celebrationsTwo more coaches will attend rugby meetingMcIntosh ready to reign on ParadeSharks honour Ian McIntosh by renaming Kings Park entrance gate

References