Ian McIntosh

Ian McIntosh (24 September 1938 – 5 April 2023) was a Southern Rhodesian-born Zimbabwean rugby union coach. He served as head coach for the Springboks during 1993 and 1994.

McIntosh grew up near Bulawayo in Matabeleland, Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe).

McIntosh never played for his country (Rhodesian rugby team) as a player, but became acquainted with coaching in the 1970s under the tutelage of the then Welsh Rugby Union 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.

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 in New Zealand 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 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'.