Jim Telfer
| Full name | James Telfer | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 17 March 1940 | ||
| Place of birth | Melrose, Scotland | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Weight | 94 kg (14 st 11 lb; 207 lb)[1] | ||
| University | Moray House School of Education | ||
| Occupation(s) | Retired | ||
| Rugby union career | |||
| Playing career | |||
| Position | Number eight | ||
| Amateur clubs | |||
| Years | Club / team | ||
| 19??-1974 1959-1971 |
Melrose RFC South of Scotland | ||
| correct as of 24 July 2007. | |||
| National team(s) | |||
| Years | Club / team | Caps | (points) |
| 1964-1970 1966-1968 |
Scotland British Lions |
22 6 |
(?) |
| correct as of 1 March 2009. | |||
| Coaching career | |||
| Years | Club / team | ||
| 1980-1999 1983,1997 |
Scotland British Lions | ||
James "Jim" Telfer (born 17 March 1940) is a Scottish rugby union coach and a former rugby player. A former headmaster at Hawick High School and Galashiels Academy as a geography teacher, he has won fame as a Scottish forwards coach who gave punishing training sessions to his players. With Sir Ian McGeechan he has had success with both the Scotland national rugby union team and the British and Irish Lions.
Playing career
Telfer gained twenty one caps, and may have gained more, but for injury; as Allan Massie writes of him:
- "Telfer is a man of innate authority. (There's a wealth of quiet reserve and self-knowledge, touched by that form of self-mockery which appears as under-statement, in the way he will describe himself as being a 'dominant personality')"[2]
Telfer played back row for Scotland and for the Lions in 1966 and 1968. He was impressed and heavily influenced by New Zealand rugby.[2] Unfortunately, after a cartilage operation he slowed up.[2]
George Crerar said of Telfer "The great thing about Jim Telfer is that he makes sure that if he isn't going to win the ball the other side won't get it either."[3]
Coaching
He was head coach to the British and Irish Lions on their tour of New Zealand in 1983. He was assistant coach, with particular responsibility for the forwards, on the British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa in 1997.
Telfer coached Scotland to the Grand Slam in 1984 and, as assistant to Sir Ian McGeechan, to his second Grand Slam in 1990. In his second term as head coach from 1998–1999, Scotland won the final Five Nations Championship.
He currently manages and coaches the Melrose RFC Under-18 team - Melrose Wasps.
References
Sources
- Bath, Richard (ed.) The Complete Book of Rugby (Seven Oaks Ltd, 1997 ISBN 1-86200-013-1)
- Massie, Allan A Portrait of Scottish Rugby (Polygon, Edinburgh; ISBN 0-904919-84-6)
- Telfer, Jim Jim Telfer: Looking Back... For Once (Mainstream Publishing, 2005, ISBN 1-84596-062-9)
External links
- Jim Telfer (The Scotsman)
- Video Interview with Jim Telfer 3:48 -to- 4:48 on YouTube
| Preceded by Nairn McEwan |
Scotland national rugby union team coach 1980-1984 |
Succeeded by Colin Telfer |
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