News24.com | SA Rugby pays tribute to Mac: 'We owe him so much for what he did for the game,' says Alexander

Wahl Baartman, Ian McIntosh (Gallo)

• SA Rugby have paid tribute to former Springbok and Sharks coach Ian McIntosh, who died on Wednesday.
• McIntosh (84) "was an intensely passionate rugby man through and through" said SA Rugby president Mark Alexander.
• McIntosh coached the Springboks in 1993 and 1994 and was the last national coach to defeat the Wallabies in Sydney before the Springboks achieved the same feat nearly 30 years later in 2022.

SA Rugby president Mark Alexander has paid tribute to former Springbok and Sharks coach Ian McIntosh, who died on Wednesday morning.

McIntosh (84) had been diagnosed with cancer.

Fondly remembered in KwaZulu-Natal in particular, McIntosh, who was born in Zimbabwe, coached Natal to their first Currie Cup triumph in 1990 and again in 1992, 1995, and 1996.

He was in charge of the national side in 1993 and 1994 and was the last Springbok coach to beat the Wallabies in Sydney (in 1993) before Jacques Nienaber's team managed it in the Rugby Championship in 2022, nearly 30 years later.

McIntosh also coached the Springbok Sevens team in 2003, making him the only man to head both of South Africa's senior national men’s rugby teams.

After his coaching days ended, McIntosh was a Springbok selector for 13 years, providing mentorship and advice to several national coaches at junior and senior levels, and he stayed involved in the game through the South African Rugby Legends Association (SARLA).

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 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.

"Mac never stopped working and believed in giving back to the game that he loved so much. As South African rugby, we owe him so much gratitude for what he's done, and we honour him for the role he played in the game, both here and internationally.

"We are thinking of Rona, his wife of almost 60 years, and their three sons, Ross, Craig and Evan, as well as the rest of the McIntosh family, friends and other loved ones in this very difficult time. May you find solace in the memories of a man who will forever be remembered as a pioneer in rugby and whose influence stretched over generations.

"Rest in peace, Master," Alexander said.