Jim Telfer

James Telfer (born 17 March 1940) is a Scottish former rugby union coach and player. As a player, he won 21 international caps in the amateur era, also having a career as a headmaster at Hawick High School and Galashiels Academy and Forrester High School as a chemistry teacher. With Sir Ian McGeechan he had success with both the Scotland national team and the British Lions.

Not to be confused with James Telfer.

Jim Telfer
Birth nameJames Telfer
Date of birth (1940-03-17) 17 March 1940
Place of birthMelrose, Scotland
Height1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Weight94 kg (14 st 11 lb; 207 lb)[1]
UniversityMoray House School of Education
Occupation(s)Retired rugby union coach
Rugby union career
Position(s) Number eight
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
19??-1974 Melrose RFC ()
Correct as of 24 July 2007
Provincial / State sides
Years Team Apps (Points)
1959-71 South of Scotland District ()
1962 Provinces District ()
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1964-70 Scotland 22 ((?))
1966-68 British Lions 6
Correct as of 1 March 2009
Coaching career
Years Team
1980–1984 Scotland
1988–1993 Scotland (Assistant coach)
1993–1995 Scotland
1995-1998 Scotland (Director of Rugby)
1998-1999 Scotland
1999–2003 Scotland (Assistant coach)
1983,1997 British Lions

Playing career

Telfer played for Melrose RFC and was still a student when he was first selected for international duties.[2] He later worked as a chemistry teacher.[3] His first cap came against France at Murrayfield on 4 January 1964.[4] His last match for Scotland was on 28 February 1970 at Lansdowne Road against Ireland.[5]

Telfer gained twenty one caps for Scotland, and, but for injury, might have gained more. Allan Massie wrote 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')"[6]

Telfer played back row for Scotland and for the British Lions in 1966 and 1968. He was impressed and heavily influenced by New Zealand rugby.[6] After a cartilage operation he slowed up.[6] He played 23 games for the British Lions on their 1966 tour to Australia and New Zealand[7] and 11 games on their 1968 tour to South Africa.[8]

Between 1963 and 1967, he played 8 times for the Barbarians, scoring six points.[9]

George Crerar said of him "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."[10]

Coaching career

Telfer was head coach to the British Lions on their tour of New Zealand in 1983. He was assistant coach, with particular responsibility for the forwards, on the 1997 British Lions tour to South Africa, where he made his well-known motivational 'Everest' speech to the forwards before the 1st Test.[11][12][13]

Telfer coached Scotland to the Grand Slam in 1984 and, as assistant to Ian McGeechan, to his second Grand Slam in 1990. In his third term as head coach from 1998 to 1999, Scotland won the final Five Nations Championship.

In 2014 he was coaching the Melrose RFC Under-18 team – Melrose Wasps.[14]

Telfer has been open about copying some New Zealand approaches to the game.[14]

International matches as head coach

Record by country
Opponent Played Won Drew Lost Win ratio (%) For Against
 Australia 4202050 57 92
 England 4211050 66 50
 France 4202050 61 54
 Ireland 4202050 67 54
 New Zealand 3012000 44 76
 Romania 2101050 34 34
 Wales 4301075 79 52
TOTAL 2512211048 408 412

Scotland (1993–1995, 1998–1999)

The period 1995–98 saw Telfer promoted as director of rugby for the Scottish Rugby Union. Richie Dixon was the head coach of the Scotland National team during this time. Telfer stepped in as head coach of Scotland when Dixon quit in 1998.

International matches as head coach

Record by country
Opponent Played Won Drew Lost Win ratio (%) For Against
 Argentina 3003000 54 64
 Australia 2002000 14 78
 Canada 1100100 22 6
 England 4004000 67 97
 Fiji 1001000 26 51
 France 5203040 106 136
 Ireland 4310075 89 48
 Italy 1100100 30 12
 Ivory Coast 1100100 89 0
 New Zealand 3003000 63 129
 Romania 2200100 109 35
 Samoa 1100100 35 20
 South Africa 3003000 49 115
 Spain 1100100 48 0
 Tonga 1100100 41 5
 Uruguay 1100100 43 12
 Wales 4202050 78 81
TOTAL 3816121042 963 889

Honours

In 2021, World Rugby inducted Telfer into its World Rugby Hall of Fame, alongside Osea Kolinisau, Humphrey Kayange, Huriana Manuel, Cheryl McAfee and Will Carling.[15]

As a player

As a coach

References
  1. "History > Player Archive > #443 Jim Telfer". www.lionsrugby.com. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  2. Jim Telfer. World Rugby. 29 October 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  3. "Rugby Positions: No 8s: Jim Telfer". Rugby World. 17 August 2016. Archived from the original on 21 August 2016.
  4. Downie, John (6 January 1964). "Scots open season with victory". The Herald. Glasgow. p. 15. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  5. McMurtrie, Bill (2 March 1970). "Scottish revival not enough to atone for earlier blunders". The Herald. Glasgow. p. 5. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  6. Massie, p189
  7. "Player archive: Jim Teller". British and Irish Lions. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  8. "Player archive: Jim Teller". British and Irish Lions. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  9. "Player Archive - J. W. Telfer". Barbarians FC. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  10. Massie, p190
  11. Living With Lions documentary: Telfer's famous 'Everest' speech in 1997. BBC Sport. 20 June 2017. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  12. "On This Day: Telfer's speech and Dawson's dummy down the Springboks". 20 June 2016.
  13. "'BOD shook my hand and said, 'Thank you very much, you've given me a career!'".
  14. Lyall, Jamie (7 November 2014). "'My best rugby is still to come'". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  15. "Six legends to be inducted into World Rugby Hall of Fame". World Rugby. Retrieved 27 October 2021.

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)
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