Sydney Millar (23 May 1934 – 10 December 2023) was a Northern Irish

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 ...

prop who played for

Ballymena RFC Ballymena Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in the town of Ballymena, Northern Ireland, playing in 2024–25 All-Ireland League (rugby union)#Division 2A, Division 2A of the All-Ireland League (rugby union), All-Ireland League. It is ...

and

Ulster Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...

and international rugby for

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

and the British Lions. After retiring from playing rugby he became a rugby coach and a rugby administrator. He became chairman of the Irish Rugby Union in 1995 and from 2003 until 2007 was chairman of the

International Rugby Board World Rugby is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. World Rugby organises the Rugby World Cup every four years, the sport's most recognised and most profitable competition. It also organises a number of other international competit ...

. Former Lions captain

Willie John McBride William James McBride CBE, better known as Willie John McBride (born 6 June 1940), is a former rugby union footballer from Northern Ireland who played as a lock for Ireland and the British and Irish Lions. He made 63 appearances for Ireland, ...

stated that Millar had given "his whole life to the game".

Early life

Millar was born in

Ballymena Ballymena ( ; from , meaning 'the middle townland') is a town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 31,205 people at the 2021 United Kingdom census, making it the List of localities in Northern Ireland by population, seven ...

in Northern Ireland, the eldest of six children. He spent a period away as a sea cadet.

Rugby

Millar played at outside-half at school. A highly technical prop, he focused on the set-piece and could play on either side of the scrum at the highest level.

Playing career

Millar played for his home town club,

. Millar first played for

in 1958 and went on to win 37 caps as a prop. This included a four-year gap when he was out of favour. His last international was in 1970. Millar played 39 games for the

British and Irish Lions The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England national rugby union team, England, Ireland national rugby union team, Ireland, Scotland national rugby union team, Scotland, and ...

, including 9 internationals, on 3 tours. Although tighthead was said to be his preference, he packed down at loosehead in both the 1959 and 1962 Lions series. He also played on the 1968 tour. Millar also appeared 10 times for the

Barbarians A barbarian is a person or tribe of people that is perceived to be primitive, savage and warlike. Many cultures have referred to other cultures as barbarians, sometimes out of misunderstanding and sometimes out of prejudice. A "barbarian" may ...

, including a win over the 1961 South African team.

Coach

Millar coached the hugely successful Lions tour to South Africa in

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

. According to Ian McGeechan, Millar was pivotal to the success of the tour. Millar used information from ex-pats he knew in South Africa in his preparation. Terry O’Connor (rugby writer) said: “In my view Millar has always been under-rated as a coach and overshadowed by Carwyn James who was in charge of the 1971 team. Both rank among the world’s best and brought different qualities to their work. James was a visionary about back play but accepted that his forward knowledge at Test level was limited. Millar has proved over the years a master of forward tactics and in 1974 forged the finest pack ever to visit South Africa.”

Manager

Millar managed the Lions tour to South Africa in

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

. He was the manager of the Irish national side at the 1987 World Cup.

Administrator

Millar became the president of the Ulster Branch of the Irish Rugby Football Union in 1985, and was appointed one of the representatives of the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) to the IRB Council in 1992. He became president of the IRFU in 1995, and was also chairman of the

from 1999 to 2002. He was appointed IRB vice-chairman on 16 September 2002, replacing New Zealander Rob Fisher. He took on the role of interim chairman after the death of Vernon Pugh in 2003. Millar was elected as the IRB chairman in late 2003 to a four-year term commencing in 2004. He presided over a governance restructure and new strategic plan for the IRB, and was influential in the continued lobbying for Rugby sevens inclusion in the Summer Olympics. He stepped down from his posts at the IRB and the IRFU following the 2007 World Cup and was succeeded as by Bernard Lapasset.

Personal life and death

Millar was married and had a daughter Lesley and sons Peter and Johnny. He missed the birth of Peter, later an Ulster, Ireland and

prop, because he was on tour. Syd Millar died on 10 December 2023, at the age of 89.

Honours

On 20 May 2004 he was awarded the Freedom of the Borough of

. Millar was awarded the

Honorary Degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

Doctor of Science A Doctor of Science (; most commonly abbreviated DSc or ScD) is a science doctorate awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. Africa Algeria and Morocco In Algeria, Morocco, Libya and Tunisia, all universities accredited by the s ...

by the

University of Ulster Ulster University (; Ulster Scots: or ), legally the University of Ulster, is a multi-campus public research university located in Northern Ireland. It is often referred to informally and unofficially as Ulster, or by the abbreviation UU. It i ...

in 1992, and was inducted into the

International Rugby Hall of Fame The International Rugby Hall of Fame (IRHOF) was a hall of fame for rugby union. It was created in 1997 in New Zealand and is run as a charitable trust with an address at Chiswick in London. Most of the trustees are also inductees. IRHOF accepted ...

in 2003. He was made a

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in 2005 having previously been appointed MBE.Rugby chief Millar awarded a CBE
BBC. 10 June 2005. On 12 December 2007, Millar was appointed to the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

, France's highest decoration, at a ceremony in Ballymena Rugby Club, by Bernard Lapasset, his successor as IRB Chairman. In 2009 he was inducted into the

. Gavin Mairs (rugby writer) said: ”Millar’s contribution to rugby football has been nothing short of phenomenal – from player, coach, manager and lately world-class administrator who presided over two outstanding Rugby World Cups and leaves the Game well equipped to continue its global expansion in the professional era.” In 2016 he won the

Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service The Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service, previously called the IRB Distinguished Service Award, is awarded by World Rugby at the World Rugby Awards. It has been awarded annually since 2001. It honours an individual, Union or group, male o ...

References

Bibliography

External links

Ireland profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Millar, Syd 1934 births 2023 deaths Irish rugby union administrators Irish rugby union coaches Irish rugby union players Ireland international rugby union players Ulster Rugby players Ballymena R.F.C. players World Rugby Hall of Fame inductees British & Irish Lions rugby union players from Ireland British & Irish Lions coaches Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Recipients of the Legion of Honour Rugby union players from Ballymena Rugby union props People educated at Ballymena Academy