‘Mac’ left indelible mark on global game - SA Rugby
SA Rugby has paid tribute to former Springbok and Sharks coach Ian McIntosh, who passed away on Wednesday morning after a battle with cancer.
He was 84.
Apart from coaching the Springboks, he also coached the Springbok Sevens team in 2003 – the only man who was head coach of both of South Africa’s senior national men’s rugby teams – and he famously guided the Sharks to their first Currie Cup title in 1990.
He won three more Currie Cup titles as coach of the KwaZulu-Natalians (1992, 1995 and 1996) and he also took the Sharks to the first Super 12 final in 1996, when they lost to the Blues.
In 1993 and 1994, McIntosh coached the Springboks in 12 Tests and until last year’s victory, his 1993 Bok team was the last from South Africa to beat the Wallabies in Sydney.
After his coaching days came to an end, McIntosh was a Springbok selector for 13 years.
In 2013, he was presented with World Rugby’s Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service, recognising his achievement in changing the face of rugby in South Africa.
“‘Mac’ left an indelible mark on the global rugby landscape, but even more so in South Africa and with his beloved Sharks,” said SA Rugby president Mark Alexander.
“He was an intensely passionate rugby man through and through, someone who never stopped learning, coaching, educating and giving back.
Apart from coaching the Springboks, he also coached the Springbok Sevens team in 2003 – the only man who was head coach of both of South Africa’s senior national men’s rugby teams – and he famously guided the Sharks to their first Currie Cup title in 1990.
He won three more Currie Cup titles as coach of the KwaZulu-Natalians (1992, 1995 and 1996) and he also took the Sharks to the first Super 12 final in 1996, when they lost to the Blues.
In 1993 and 1994, McIntosh coached the Springboks in 12 Tests and until last year’s victory, his 1993 Bok team was the last from South Africa to beat the Wallabies in Sydney.
After his coaching days came to an end, McIntosh was a Springbok selector for 13 years.
In 2013, he was presented with World Rugby’s Vernon Pugh Award for Distinguished Service, recognising his achievement in changing the face of rugby in South Africa.
“‘Mac’ left an indelible mark on the global rugby landscape, but even more so in South Africa and with his beloved Sharks,” said SA Rugby president Mark Alexander.
“He was an intensely passionate rugby man through and through, someone who never stopped learning, coaching, educating and giving back.
“He will be remembered as Springbok and Sharks coach, who plotted the unthinkable in 1990 when the ‘Banana Boys’ beat the mighty Bulls in the Currie Cup final in Pretoria, but later in his life, along with SARLA, ‘Mac’ did magnificent work in uplifting the less fortunate, using rugby as a tool to bring smiles to the faces of thousands of children through the years.”
