Syd Millar
Encyclopedia
Sydney "Syd" Millar, CBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...

, is the outgoing chairman of the International Rugby Board
International Rugby Board
The International Rugby Board is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. It was founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board by the unions of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. England refused to join until 1890. The International Rugby Football Board changed its name to the...

. He was born in Ballymena
Ballymena
Ballymena is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland and the seat of Ballymena Borough Council. Ballymena had a population of 28,717 people in the 2001 Census....

 and previously played for Ballymena RFC
Ballymena RFC
Ballymena Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in the town of Ballymena, Northern Ireland. It is affiliated to the Ulster branch of the Irish Rugby Football Union. The club fields six adult teams and an under-20 team. In youth rugby there are under-18, under-16 and under-14 teams...

 and represented Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...

 in the pack, winning 37 caps as a prop. In addition, he played 9 times for the British and Irish Lions
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...

. Millar also coached the successful 1974 British Lions tour to South Africa
1974 British Lions tour to South Africa
In 1974 the British Lions toured South Africa, with matches in South West Africa and Rhodesia . The tour was a great success, the Lions winning 21 of their 22 matches and drawing the other. After winning the first three test matches, the Lions drew the final test to preserve their unbeaten record...

 and managed the 1980 British Lions tour to South Africa
1980 British Lions tour to South Africa
In 1980 the British Lions rugby union team toured South Africa . The tour was not a success in terms of international results, the Lions losing the first three tests before salvaging some pride with a win in the fourth...

. Before becoming involved with rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...

's governing body, he served as manager of the Irish national side at the 1987 World Cup
1987 Rugby World Cup
The 1987 Rugby World Cup was the first Rugby World Cup. New Zealand and Australia agreed to co-host the first ever tournament with New Zealand hosting seventeen pool stage matches, two quarter-finals and the final with Australia being the junior partner hosting seven pool matches, two...

 and as head of the IRFU. Dr. Millar stepped down from his post following the 2007 World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...

.

On 12 December 2007, Dr Millar was awarded the Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...

, France's highest decoration, at a ceremony in Ballymena Rugby Club, by Bernard Lapasset
Bernard Lapasset
Bernard Lapasset MNZM is a French rugby administrator who is currently Chairman of the International Rugby Board . He previously served as President of the French Federation of Rugby Union from 1991 to May 2008, when Pierre Camou, then Vice-President took over...

, his successor as IRB Chairman.

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