Jim Telfer facts for kids

James "Jim" Telfer (born March 17, 1940) is a famous Scottish former rugby union player and coach. He played for Scotland 21 times when rugby was still an amateur sport. Jim Telfer also worked as a headmaster at schools like Hawick High School and Galashiels Academy, and taught chemistry at Forrester High School. He achieved great success with the Scottish national team and the British Lions, often working with Sir Ian McGeechan.

Playing Career: Jim Telfer's Rugby Days

Jim Telfer played rugby for Melrose RFC. He was still a student when he was first chosen to play for Scotland. His first international match was against France on January 4, 1964. He played his last game for Scotland on February 28, 1970, against Ireland.

Jim Telfer earned 21 "caps" (appearances) for Scotland. He might have played even more if he hadn't gotten injured. He played in the back row for Scotland and for the British Lions in 1966 and 1968. He was very impressed by how New Zealand played rugby and learned a lot from them.

After a knee operation, he became a bit slower. He played 23 games for the British Lions during their 1966 tour to Australia and New Zealand. He also played 11 games on their 1968 tour to South Africa. Between 1963 and 1967, he played 8 times for the Barbarians team.

A rugby player named George Crerar once said about 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." This shows how tough and determined he was as a player.

Coaching Career: Leading Teams to Victory

Jim Telfer became a very successful rugby coach. He was the head coach for the British Lions on their tour of New Zealand in 1983. He was also an assistant coach for the 1997 British Lions tour to South Africa. During that tour, he was in charge of the forwards (the players who push in scrums and lineouts). He gave a very famous and inspiring "Everest" speech to the forwards before their first big match.

Telfer led Scotland to win the Grand Slam in 1984. A Grand Slam means winning every game in the Five Nations Championship. He also helped Scotland win their second Grand Slam in 1990 as an assistant coach to Ian McGeechan. In his third time as head coach from 1998 to 1999, Scotland won the very last Five Nations Championship before it became the Six Nations.

In 2014, even after retiring, he was still coaching the Under-18 team for Melrose RFC. Jim Telfer has often said that he learned and copied some of the successful rugby strategies from New Zealand.

Scotland Coaching Highlights (1981–1984)

During his first time as head coach for Scotland, Jim Telfer led the team in 25 international matches. He helped Scotland achieve some important wins, including their 1984 Grand Slam.

Opponent	Played	Won	Drew	Lost	Win ratio (%)	For	Against
Australia	4	2	0	2	50	57	92
England	4	2	1	1	50	66	50
France	4	2	0	2	50	61	54
Ireland	4	2	0	2	50	67	54
New Zealand	3	0	1	2	0	44	76
Romania	2	1	0	1	50	34	34
Wales	4	3	0	1	75	79	52
TOTAL	25	12	2	11	48	408	412

Scotland Coaching Highlights (1993–1995, 1998–1999)

From 1995 to 1998, Jim Telfer was the Director of Rugby for the Scottish Rugby Union. This meant he oversaw all rugby activities in Scotland. He stepped back in as head coach for Scotland in 1998.

During these periods, he coached Scotland in 38 international matches. He led them to win the final Five Nations Championship in 1999.

Opponent	Played	Won	Drew	Lost	Win ratio (%)	For	Against
Argentina	3	0	0	3	0	54	64
Australia	2	0	0	2	0	14	78
Canada	1	1	0	0	100	22	6
England	4	0	0	4	0	67	97
Fiji	1	0	0	1	0	26	51
France	5	2	0	3	40	106	136
Ireland	4	3	1	0	75	89	48
Italy	1	1	0	0	100	30	12
Ivory Coast	1	1	0	0	100	89	0
New Zealand	3	0	0	3	0	63	129
Romania	2	2	0	0	100	109	35
Samoa	1	1	0	0	100	35	20
South Africa	3	0	0	3	0	49	115
Spain	1	1	0	0	100	48	0
Tonga	1	1	0	0	100	41	5
Uruguay	1	1	0	0	100	43	12
Wales	4	2	0	2	50	78	81
TOTAL	38	16	1	21	42	963	889

Honours: Awards and Achievements

In 2021, Jim Telfer was honored by World Rugby. He was added to the World Rugby Hall of Fame, which is a special place for rugby legends.

As a Player

• Scotland
  • Five Nations Championship
    • Winner: 1964
    • Runner-up: 1966, 1967
  • Calcutta Cup
    • Winner: 1964, 1965, 1966

As a Coach

See also

In Spanish: Jim Telfer para niños