At 86, Jim Telfer Reveals Rugby's 5 Toughest Players Ever

Jim Telfer has ​spent a lifetime in rugby, and ​at 86 he ​still judges players by one question: who did you want beside you when the match turned ​ugly? In this ​rare reflection, the Scotland and British & Irish Lions legend names the five toughest ​men he ever came across. Willie John McBride comes first — a second ​row who never asked anyone to do what he ​wouldn't do himself, and who seemed ​to grow stronger as games got worse. Then Gareth Edwards, the scrum-half whose genius hides how much punishment he simply ​absorbed. JPR ​Williams, the doctor who played ​fullback like a forward, throwing himself into ​tackles with no thought for his own body. Finlay ​Calder, stubborn ​and relentless, a captain who made life difficult for anyone trying to make his afternoon difficult. And Ian McGeechan, the man Telfer trusted when it mattered most. Underneath the ​names is a harder ​truth about his era: you got up, said nothing, ​and got back into position. If you love old-school ​rugby and the characters who built ​it, tell us in the comments which of the five you'd ​want ​beside you — and subscribe ​for more stories from the game's great voices. #JimTelfer ​#ScottishRugby #BritishAndIrishLions #WillieJohnMcBride #GarethEdwards #JPRWilliams #FinlayCalder #IanMcGeechan #RugbyLegends #ToughestRugbyPlayers #RugbyHistory ​#LionsTour #WelshRugby #SixNations #RugbyStories