Craig Chalmers

Craig Minto Chalmers (born 15 October 1968) is a former Scotland international rugby union player and coach. He represented Scotland, the British Lions and the Barbarians at international level. He made 60 international appearances as a player for the Scotland national team and scored 166 points. He played at fly-half with his playing career beginning at Melrose in the amateur era and with the professional era seeing him play Border Reivers and Glasgow Warriors before moving on to English sides Harlequins, Worcester Warriors and Pertemp Bees. He had coaching roles with Melrose and the Scotland national under-20 rugby union team. He later has had a business career in security.

Craig Chalmers
Birth nameCraig Minto Chalmers
Date of birth (1968-10-15) 15 October 1968
Place of birthGalashiels, Scotland
Height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight14 st 7 lb (92 kg)
SchoolEarlston High School
Rugby union career
Position(s) Fly-half
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
1987-98 Melrose ()
2003-4 Birmingham & Solihull Bees ()
2004-5 Melrose ()
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1996-1998 Border Reivers 7 (8)
1998-1999 Edinburgh Rugby 6 (54)
1999-2000 Glasgow Warriors 6 (25)
2000-2001 Harlequins 8 (6)
2001-2003 Worcester Warriors ()
Provincial / State sides
Years Team Apps (Points)
1988-1995 The South ()
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
1988-89 Scotland 'B' 2
1989-99 Scotland 60 (166)
1989 British Lions 1 (6)
1989-2001 Barbarians 13 (101)
Coaching career
Years Team
2004-2013 Melrose
2013-2013 Chinnor RFC
2013- Esher RFC

Rugby union career

Early amateur career

Chalmers played rugby while at Earlston High School.[1] He was selected at stand-off for Scottish Schools against Australia in December 1985.[2]

Chalmers played for Melrose and won the Scottish Cup with them in 1997.[3]

Provincial and professional career

Chalmers played for South of Scotland District.

When the South District turned professional as the Border Reivers, he then played for them. That team disbanded in 1998 and he moved to Edinburgh Rugby for a season, before moving to Glasgow Warriors for another season.

In November 2000, Chalmers had not been included in Glasgow's European Cup squad and requested to go to Zurich Premiership side Harlequins on loan.[4][5] In January 2001, Harlequins announced that they had extended the loan period for Chalmers until the end of the season.[6] By early April, he was clear that he did not wish to return to Glasgow.[7] Chalmers scored all his side's points in the semi-final of the 2000–01 European Challenge Cup and was man of the match,[8] with Harlequins eventually winning the competition. In June 2001 he had signed to Worcester Warriors.[9]

Part-time playing contract

In 2003, Chalmers turned down an approach from Melrose and instead signed a part-time contract to play for the Birmingham side Pertemp Bees that competed in the National Division One league.[10][11]

International career

Chalmers was capped by Scotland 'B' twice in the period 1988–89.

He was not selected in Scotland's squad for the 1999 Rugby World Cup.[12] He was capped 60 times for Scotland, 56 times in his preferred position of fly-half, but on occasion at centre and once as a substitute on the right wing. He was noted for his tactical kicking, support play, game management, & tackling which was something that fly halves of his time were not noted for.

His call up to the British Lions came just four months after his international debut.[13] He went on the 1989 British Lions tour to Australia and played in the first test. Although he scored some points from kicks, the Lions lost that match.[14] In March 1993 he sustained a broken arm playing for Scotland against England at Twickenham,[15] so was out of the running for the 1993 British Lions tour to New Zealand.[16]

He played in 13 matches for the Barbarians, between 1989 and 2001.[17]

Coaching career

At Worcester, Chalmers had some involvement in coaching the academy players.[18] In May 2003, Chalmers was announced as returning to Melrose as first team coach,[19] although his Worcester contract ran until the end of June.[18] On returning to Melrose, he continued in a playing role initially, retiring as a player in March 2005 having made a total of 200 appearances for the club.[4][20]

Chalmers also took up other coaching opportunities alongside his Melrose position. In October 2008, he and Tom Smith were announced as coaches for the Scotland national under-20 rugby union team.[21] In 2010 he also was named as coached for the Barbarians in their annual game against Bedford Blues.[22]

By 2011 Melrose had won the championship title for the first time in 14 years, been in cup final for four successive years, and Melrose won the SRU's award for Club of the Season award.[13] In April 2013 he confirmed that he would leave Melrose at the end of the season.[23]

Chalmers had joined Chinnor RFC in Oxford, before then announcing in August 2013 that he was to join London club Esher RFC.[24][25]

Business career

Chalmers was a marketing manager for Scottish Power from 1988 to 1996, before turning professional when rugby union went professional in Scotland.[26]

After finishing his playing career, Chalmers took up a job with a security company.[27]

Personal life

Chalmers's father Brian was a former Melrose player. In February 1997, Brian collapsed and died while watching Chalmers play for Melrose against local rivals Hawick. Chalmers was unaware of this happening, only being taken aside and given this news as the match finished.[28]

Chalmers's sister Paula Chalmers played for the Scottish Women's rugby team and achieved an even higher number of caps.[29]

References
  1. "Inside centre role for Craig". The Herald. Glasgow. 25 September 1997. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  2. "Rugger Down Under". The List. 13 December 1985. p. 50. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  3. Leith, Bill (11 May 1997). "Rugby Union: Chalmers rides the wind". The Independent. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  4. "Chalmers yearns for rebirth of Scots rugby". The Scotsman. 4 April 2005. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  5. "Chalmers seeks Quins loan". BBC Sport. 14 November 2000. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  6. "Hill stakes claim for Harlequins job". Irish Examiner. 10 January 2001. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  7. "Chalmers will not return to Caledonians: Former Scotland stand-off sees future elsewhere". The Herald. Glasgow. 7 April 2001. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  8. Prestage, Michael (23 April 2001). "Second-choice Chalmers rains vengeance on Falcons". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  9. "Douglas opts for London". The Herald. Glasgow. 30 June 2001. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  10. "Chalmers to face old team-mates in pre-season". The Herald. Glasgow. 16 July 2003. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  11. Averis, Mike (26 February 2004). "Lion Chalmers still a worker Bee". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  12. "Scots axe Chalmers". BBC Sport. 31 August 1999. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  13. "Interview: Craig Chalmers - A born winner, popularity contests aside". The Scotsman. 20 May 2001. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  14. McMurtrie, Bill (3 July 1989). "Lack of quality in crucial areas proves costly". The Glasgow Herald. p. 20). Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  15. "Return of the conquered hero". The Herald. Glasgow. 8 March 1993. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  16. "Eight of the best from Scotland. Tour caps a great year for Wright". The Herald. Glasgow. 23 March 1993. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  17. "Player archive > C. M. Chalmers". www.barbarianfc.co.uk. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  18. "17/5/03 - Chalmers eyes coaching role". Worcester News. 8 February 2006. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  19. "Chalmers is Melrose coach". BBC Sport. 7 May 2003. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  20. "Chalmers takes a bow". The Scotsman. 28 March 2005. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  21. "Chalmers and Smith to coach Under 20s". The Herald. Glasgow. 25 October 2008. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  22. "Craig Chalmers to lead Baa-Baas at Bedford". The Scotsman. 25 February 2010. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  23. "No way I could be an SRU 'yes' man". The Herald. Glasgow. 11 April 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  24. "Chinnor 'let down' by Craig Chalmers". The Scotsman. 14 August 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  25. Ferguson, David (22 August 2013). "Craig Chalmers takes Esher backs coach role". The Scotsman. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  26. "Craig Chalmers". Linkedin.
  27. "Interview: Craig Chalmers on his rivalry with Gregor Townsend". The Scotsman. 10 February 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  28. Leith, Bill (10 February 1997). "Rugby Union: Hodge's kicking puts Watsonians in control". The Independent. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  29. "The perils of Paula as Scottish girls struggle to get act together". Scotland on Sunday. 5 February 2006. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
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