Jim was just a special person
Jon Newcombe remembers one of the north’s most loved and respected coaches
TRIBUTES have poured in for Jim Kilfoyle, one of northern rugby’s most respected figures, who passed away on Boxing Day from coronavirus. Despite being born in Liverpool, Kilfoyle is best known for the influence he had in Yorkshire rugby with Wakefield, Rotherham and latterly Sandal.
Like his brother Peter, a former Labour MP, Kilfoyle was always on the side of the underdog. He guided unfashionable Rotherham to the Premiership not once but twice, in 2000 and 2003, and helped to keep the Titans afloat after Mike Yarlett withdrew his financial support.
However, the jovial Kilfoyle’s impact as DoR, team manager and also CEO, runs deeper than just wins and losses.
A history teacher by profession, the former Hull University 1st XV captain, was a keen educator and helped the development of many top players such as ex-England and Saracens winger David Strettle.
“I spoke to him a couple of weeks ago, I rang him to have a catch up and to thank him for everything he did for me when I was there (at Rotherham). He played a big role in all the youngsters’ careers,” said the recently-retired Strettle.
“He was level-headed and you could always have a laugh with him and he’d give you some brilliant advice.
“Anyone who has been lucky enough to know Jim and work alongside him will be very saddened to hear of his loss.
“You are very lucky to meet some special people in rugby and Jim is one of those special people.”
Strettle was marked out as ‘one to watch’ after scoring an 18minute hat-trick on his Rotherham debut against Rugby Lions.
He added: “If it wasn’t for people like Jim, I wouldn’t have been able to have had the career I’ve had.
“He was the first person you’d go to if you had a problem with anything; he was like a father figure and there wasn’t anyone who didn’t think fondly of him.”
During his 12 years at Wakefield, another club that punched above their weight, Kilfoyle nurtured the talents of players like Jon Sleightholme, who went on to play top-level rugby for Bath, Northampton and England.
“I was in quite a reflective mood when I found out,” said Sleightholme. “Jim was a massive influence on my career in the early days at Wakefield. He was hugely supportive and he gave me a huge amount of confidence.
“Wakefield were a force to be reckoned with back then in the early 90s and we flirted with promotion from the old Division 2 to Division 1 on a couple of occasions.
“Jim was a big advocate of playing an open, flowing game and we played some really good rugby.”
Kilfoyle’s personal highlight from his time as Wakefield coach was when they nearly knocked mighty Bath out of the John Player Cup only for a poor decision from the referee to cost them a prized scalp.
Sleightholme was in the opposition ranks by then but his heart was still at College Grove.
He said: “I didn’t want to leave Wakefield; I would have given my right arm to play in the Premiership for Wakefield; it was always my dream.
“I almost went to Rotherham. When they got promoted Jim called me to have a chat about moving from Northampton but it just wasn’t right for a number of different reasons.
“Had things been contractually right, I would have gone – just because of Jim.”
From a coaching perspective, Kilfoyle has influenced the likes of Stuart Lancaster, Lee Blackett and Mike Schmid.
Canadian Schmid was co-coach with Mike Umaga during Rotherham’s last foray into the Premiership in 2003/04.
Schmid said: “Jim was the calming influence around us. Mike and I were novice coaches and he was the wise owl over the top of us. But at the same time he empowered us and let us go off and make our own mistakes, within reason.
“Lots of times, he would say, ‘have you thought that through?’ with a smile on his face. He always gave you an honest opinion or an answer whether you wanted to hear it or not, but always in a positive constructive way. I learnt a lot from him as a rugby coach and also as a person.
“He was a true rugby man, a true rugby gent; one of the nicest guys you could ever meet.”
Lancaster played under Kilfoyle as a young flanker at Wakefield. He said: “A lot of my philosophy on the game, both as a player and coach, was shaped by my time at Wakefield but, more importantly, by Jim’s coaching.
“He was a great personality and coach but also a great person. He created a very attack-minded Wakefield team with a freedom to play that was based on the way he coached.
“He was ahead of his time, really, in terms of the way he managed his players but also understood the game.”
Had it not been for Covid-19 restrictions, Schmid is in no doubt that the rugby community would have turned up to his funeral in droves.
He said: “I would have thought every past player that he was involved with would be there.
“There’s lots of talk from former Rotherham and Wakefield players about a big celebration of his life once we are able to do those kind of things again.”
“He was a true rugby man, a true gent, one of the nicest guys you could ever meet”