‘Chief’ arrived at Pontypool Park at the end of November, strengthening Tom Hancock’s backroom team as a senior coach.
The twice-capped former Wales international had been taking some time out after leaving Brecon at the end of last season, having steered his former club to back-to-back promotions.
He took the Powys club from Division One East to the Admiral Premiership – where he led them to fifth spot in his third and final season in charge.
It further added to a glittering and trophy-laden coaching CV for New Zealand-born McIntosh, who before that enjoyed multiple league and cup triumphs with both Pontypridd and Merthyr, while also enjoying a spell coaching at Cardiff Rugby.
READ MORE: Welsh Clubs Left Stunned by WRU’s Latest Accusations After EGM Call
As a player, he made 454 appearances for Pontypridd in the back row or at lock over an 18-year period from 1989 to 2007 and is widely regarded as one of the Valley Commandos’ all-time greats.
After a short spell out of the game to recuperate following an operation, McIntosh was only too happy to answer the call.
“First and foremost, it’s an honour to be at the club,” said McIntosh, 56.
“It’s a very prestigious club with a lot of history and a club that I’ve always had a lot of respect for and a lot of my great friends have played for – and I've also played against. We've had some great, great games up there.
“A very good friend of mine, a Kiwi, Dean Oswald, played for them. Guys like Sean Lineen, Chris Huish, and a close friend of mine, Garin Jenkins, played up there.
“So, I had a really big affiliation with Pontypool and they are very, very similar to the Pontypridd community; they thrive on their history and they’re proud of their history and they’re proud of where they’re from.”
READ MORE: Welsh Clubs Finally Stir and Take Aim at WRU Plans and Spending
Mcintosh also explained how the move to Pontypool came about, having decided to step away from rugby when he left Brecon.
“I’d had an operation on my ankle – and I knew it was going to be a good long rehab – so I’d decided to kind of duck out of things,” he explained.
“And then I had a phone call from Tom Hancock in November. He just felt although they've got a very committed, young coaching staff – and they have, they're good lads and very good coaches – he needed a bit of experience within that group to help him out off the field, and a bit of motivation.
“Just little things like that and to kind of reinforce stuff that he feels could be implemented – and to be challenged at times.
“I think we all need to be challenged in life, no matter how successful you are.
“I don’t want a nodding dog next to me. I don't need that, mate. I need someone to say; mate, I don’t think you've got that quite right. It just makes you a better person and makes you a better coach.”
McIntosh has certainly never been backwards in coming forwards in expressing views on the game he loves in Wales.
And he had some strong reservations in particular back in 2024 when plans to introduce a new league, what is now known as Super Rygbi Cymru, to sit between the professional game and the community Premiership, were originally announced.
But ‘Chief’ says he has been pleasantly surprised with what he has seen so far having spent just over six weeks with Pooler.
He continued: “Obviously, it’s my first experience of the league and, I’ve got to say, I'm quite impressed – in the attitude and the commitment of the Pontypool players.
“They’re young; we've got a lot of young kids who are finding their way. We've got a few established players, not as many as we probably could do with, but some good senior players who are mentoring the youngsters very well.
“It’s a very good breeding ground and developing ground for these young players, so I really understand the ethics of the league.
“I think it could definitely improve, you know, financially, but I'm liking the feel of the league and I’ve been very impressed with the rugby so far.”
McIntosh is looking to turn around what has, to this point, been a disappointing season at Pontypool, by their standards.
Pooler are currently on a seven-game losing run in Super Rygbi Cymru and are without a win since 18 October when they beat Bridgend 43-10 at Pontypool Park.
They had hoped to return to winning ways last Saturday in the reverse fixture with Bridgend, but were left kicking their heels after the match at the Brewery Field was postponed due to a frozen pitch.
With three wins and nine defeats from 12 games so far, Pooler are second from bottom in SRC – level on 17 points with Bridgend – with one more win than the Ravens keeping them off the foot of the table.
But there have been signs of encouragement for Pooler’s coaching staff, particularly their performance, despite a 52-38 defeat, in the Gwent derby at home against runaway leaders Ebbw Vale on 27 December.
Pooler had powered into a 26-7 lead with a bonus point already secured inside half an hour of that match, before outstanding Ebbw rallied to battle back and eventually take the spoils.
“We were very good in parts of the game,” reflected McIntosh.
“But Ebbw Vale, in all fairness to them, are a very good side, and their driving line-out, when their backs join, pretty much put us to bed in the end.
“We’re not far off it. Ebbw Vale are the benchmark at the moment; they played some very good stuff and we definitely contended with them.
“We just need to play for 80 minutes. I know it’s a cliche, but we play some brilliant stuff and then we fall from a 90% effort down to a 30-40%.
“And what we've got to do is kind of close that divide and, if we can do that, then we'll start winning games quite regularly and even beat some of the better sides quite regularly.
“So that’s our goal – to close that deficit.
“By the time we get to the play-offs, we know we're going to be competitive and we're not just going to be pushed over.”
That’s always been the word of “Chief” – you may lose, but you’re never pushed over.
