Jeff Young (rugby union)

Jeffrey Young OBE (16 September 1942 – 3 October 2005) was a Welsh rugby union player who gained 23 caps for Wales as a hooker between 1968 and 1973.

Jeff Young

Birth name	Jeffrey Young
Date of birth	(1942-09-16)16 September 1942
Place of birth	Blaengarw, Wales
Date of death	5 October 2005(2005-10-05) (aged 63)
Place of death	Harrogate, England
School	Garw Grammar School
University	St Luke's College, Exeter
Occupation(s)	schoolmaster Wing commander
Rugby union career
Position(s) Hooker Amateur team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) Blaengarw RFC Royal Air Force London Welsh RFC Bridgend RFC Harrogate RFC Yorkshire () International career Years Team Apps (Points) 1968–1973 1973 Wales British Isles 23 1 (0) (0)

Young was born in Blaengarw 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 Blaengarw, Harrogate, Bridgend and London Welsh. He also played for the East Wales side that earned a draw with the touring All Blacks in 1967.

He made his debut for Wales against Scotland in Cardiff in 1968, and became the first-choice hooker for Wales, playing in 22 of the next 26 internationals. He played in the Grand Slam winning side of 1971 and made his last international appearance against France in Paris in 1973, after which Bobby Windsor became the first-choice hooker. Young was selected for the British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa 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.

External links

• Jeff Young Obituary