Jeffrey Young OBE (16 September 1942 – 3 October 2005)Jeff Young player profile
Scrum.com was a Welsh

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

player who gained 23 caps for

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

as a hooker between 1968 and 1973. Young was born in

Blaengarw Blaengarw is the uppermost village in the river valley (Cwm Garw) of the River Garw, in the county borough of Bridgend, Wales. In the English language Blaengarw means the rugged 'front' or 'head' of the valley. The population of Blaengarw ward ...

and educated at Garw Grammar School and St Luke's College, Exeter. He played five times for the Welsh Secondary Schools XV. A teacher by profession, Young played club rugby for

Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa w ...

Bridgend Bridgend (; cy, Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr or just , meaning "the end of the bridge on the Ogmore") is a town in Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of Cardiff and east of Swansea. The town is named after the medieval bridge over the River Og ...

and

London Welsh London Welsh Rugby Football Club ( cy, Clwb Rygbi Cymry Llundain) was a rugby union club formed in 1885. Based in Old Deer Park, Richmond-upon-Thames, London Welsh RFC played in the English Premiership in the 2012–13 and 2014–15 seaso ...

. He also played for the East Wales side that earned a draw with the touring

All Blacks The New Zealand national rugby union team, commonly known as the All Blacks ( mi, Ōpango), represents New Zealand in men's international rugby union, which is considered the country's national sport. The team won the Rugby World Cup in 1987, ...

in 1967. He made his debut for Wales against

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

in 1968, and became the first-choice hooker for Wales, playing in 22 of the next 26 internationals. He played in the

Grand Slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...

winning side of 1971 and made his last international appearance against

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

in Paris in 1973, after which Bobby Windsor became the first-choice hooker. Young was selected for the

British and Irish Lions The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The Lions are a test side and most often select players who have already played for their national ...

tour to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

in 1968 and played in the first test. In 1971 he left teaching and joined the R.A.F. and became a Wing Commander, coaching the RAF and British Combined Services on their joint tour to New Zealand with British Police in 1988. In 1991 he became the Welsh Rugby Union's first technical director and later became Director of Rugby at Harrogate. He was awarded the OBE for his services to rugby and the R.A.F. Jeff Young died of Alzheimer's disease in Harrogate in October 2005.

References

External links

Jeff Young Obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Jeff 1942 births 2005 deaths Alumni of the University of Exeter Bridgend RFC players British & Irish Lions rugby union players from Wales Combined Services rugby union players Deaths from Alzheimer's disease London Welsh RFC players Neurological disease deaths in England Officers of the Order of the British Empire Royal Air Force officers Royal Air Force rugby union players Rugby union hookers Rugby union players from Blaengarw Wales international rugby union players Welsh rugby union players