Keith Jarrett

Keith Jarrett (born 18 May 1948) is a Welsh former dual-code international rugby union and rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s and 1970s. He played representative rugby union for the British Lions and for Wales, where he set point scoring records, and Monmouthshire, and at club level for Abertillery RFC and Newport RFC, as a centre, i.e. number 12 or 13. He also played representative rugby league for Wales, and at club level for Barrow. the son of former Glamorgan cricketer Hal Jarrett, and attended Monmouth School. Like his father, he played cricket for Glamorgan County Cricket Club. In 1966 Keith Jarrett he played his first official rugby union match for Newport against Ebbw Vale, shortly after leaving school.

Cricket Jarrett played for Glamorgan Second XI from 1965 to 1967, appearing in two first-class matches in 1967 – one each against the Indian and Pakistani tourists. He was a middle order bat and change right arm seam bowler.

International rugby career Jarrett played his first international for Wales on 15 April 1967 against England, aged eighteen years. His performance on the field was so impressive that the match has been known ever since as the Keith Jarrett match and he made the cover of Rugby World magazine two months later. The try has been highly-ranked in several popular polls to select the greatest Welsh tries.

In 1968 he set a club record of 30 points for Newport against Penarth, and was selected for the 1968 British Lions tour to South Africa.

Jarrett played for Wales at rugby union ten times in all, making his final appearance against Australia on 21 June 1969 during the Wales tour of New Zealand and Australia.

Later career On his return from tour in 1969, Jarrett joined rugby league club Barrow for a signing-on fee of £14,000 (based on increases in average earnings, this would be approximately £380,000 in 2016). He was also selected for the Welsh national rugby league side, before he had played his first match for Barrow.

Jarrett's rugby career was cut short in 1973, aged just 25, when he suffered a stroke resulting from a haemorrhage.