There are only a handful of matches in the history of international rugby that are synonymous with a single player.

The ‘Obolensky’ match in 1935, when England beat New Zealand and the Russian Prince on their right wing scored two tries.

The ‘Hancock’ match at Twickenham in 1965, when the Northampton wing ran 70 yards to score and deny the Scots victory.

The ‘Whineray’ match at Cardiff Arms Park, when the All Blacks skipper scored a 30 yard score for his side in their end of tour win over the Barbarians, outrageous dummy included.

And then there is the ‘Jarrett’ match. On 15 April, 1967, Wales faced England with an 18-year-old rookie at full back. Keith Jarrett, normally a centre, had played only 40 minutes in the new position in a club match for Newport.

But, by the time the final whistle was blown at the end of his international debut a fairytale had been written and a legend had been born. His 19 point contribution, including a sensational solo-effort try from the teenage full back, swept Wales to a 34-21 victory that demolished England’s Triple Crown dream and equalled Jack Bancroft’s Welsh record.

The Welsh selectors had had a tough time and their team was on course to record the worst season in the history of Welsh rugby having lost to Australia, Scotland, Ireland and France. A first Five Nations whitewash was in the offing and Jarrett’s selection was considered to be a massive gamble.

He came into the side as the 14^th new cap of the season and became the second teenager thrown into the cauldron of international rugby in successive games after Gareth Edwards had made his debut in a 20-14 defeat in Paris two weeks earlier.

If there was an air of desperation from the ‘Big Five’ in picking their teams, you’d have to say they had an eye for talent. Of the 14 new caps they selected that season, eight became British & Irish Lions – Gerald Davies, Barry John, Delme Thomas, John Taylor, Billy Raybould, John O’Shea, Edwards and Jarrett – while Davies, John, Thomas, Taylor, Edwards and Dai Morris all played in the 1971 Grand Slam team.

1967 Wales v England

WALES 34 – 21 ENGLAND – Saturday, 15 April, 1967

Wales: Keith Jarrett; Stuart Watkins, Billy Raybould, Gerald Davies, Dewi Bebb; David Watkins (captain), Gareth Edwards; Denzel Williams, Norman Gale, John Lloyd, Brian Price, Billy Mainwaring, Ron Jones, John Taylor, Dai Morris
Scorers: Tries: Davies 2, Bebb, Jarrett, Morris; Cons: Jarrett 5; Pens: Jarrett 2; DG: Raybould

England: Roger Hosen; Keith Savage, Bob Hearn, Colin McFadyean, Rod Webb; John Finlan, Roger Pickering; Phil Judd (captain), Stephen Richards, Mike Coulman, John Barton, Dave Watt, Budge Rogers, Bob Taylor, Dave Rollitt
Scorers: Tries: Barton 2, Webb; Cons: Pens: Hosen

Referee: Dave MacMahon (England)

WATCH MATCH HIGHLIGHTS HERE

‘YOU WILL NEVER, EVER, MAKE A FULL BACK’ – DAVID WATKINS HAS HIS SAY

Wales were led by David Watkins, who was playing his last international match before heading to Salford rugby league fame. Watkins was also Jarrett’s club captain at Newport, but was uncertain about whether or not full back was his best position.

Those doubts had come to the fore in a club game at Newbridge 11 days before his Wales debut. As it happened, it was the only time he would play full back for Wales, with his other nine caps all coming as a centre.

“The Welsh selectors asked us to play Keith at full back and that meant we had to ask our normal full back John Anthony to play at centre. He wasn’t happy with that, but agreed to give it a go,” explained Watkins.

“The game against Newbridge was a real local derby clash with a lot of pride at stake. They were very tactically aware and made life very difficult for Keith, so much so that I had to go up to him at half-time and ask him to switch back to centre.

“It was his first game in that position and I went up to him at half-time and told him ‘You will never, ever, make a full back’ and added ‘you’re no golden boy, just one of 14 Black & Ambers’.

“At that stage I thought I had messed up his prospects of playing for Wales against England. Wales hadn’t won a game going into that final match, but then there is always a great belief among Welsh players that they can beat England, especially at the Arms Park.

“My biggest concern as captain was to win the toss so that they didn’t kick to Keith. We kicked off and I gave the first two penalties to Keith to kick to touch – even though that was my normal job.

“When we won a third penalty 45 metres out, I asked him to do the same thing and stick it in the corner but he said ‘I’ll have a go at goal.’

Keith Jarrett

“He put the ball down, kicked it high and handsome and, even before it went in off the top of the upright, he turned round to me and said ‘I told you so.’

“Keith had this incredible inner belief and confidence in his own ability. He always seemed so laid back, a player who was capable of anything. After that he just got better and better – he didn’t miss a kick and scored that try.

“If Keith had done that in the professional era it would have made him a very rich man. It was that outstanding a performance – yet before the match Keith was as cool as anything, he was totally calm and composed.”

KEITH JARRETT’S MEMORIES OF HIS GREATEST DAY

Having made his Newport debut in a win over Ebbw Vale on Christmas Eve, 1966, Jarrett became a regular feature of the Gwent side for the second half of the season.

Playing at centre he played 17 times in three months before playing for Wales. All bar the infamous first-half at Newbridge were at centre outside David Watkins and he scored 109 points.

An outstanding sportsman at Monmouth School, he followed his father, Hal, into the Glamorgan country cricket ranks, playing for the 2^nd X1 between 1965-67. He made two first-team appearances for Glamorgan in 1967, against the touring Indians and Pakistanis.

“I was like a professional sportsman in my final term at Monmouth. I trained twice a day, three hours in the morning and another three in the afternoon. The only problem was I had to study Latin O level to try and get into Oxford or Cambridge – I got the O level – but never went up,” recalled Jarrett.

“Cliff Jones was chairman of the Welsh selectors at the time and in light of that Newbridge game I guess it was a bold move by them to carry on and play me at full back. After all, I had played only half a match at full back – and that had hardly gone well.

“Dai (Watkins) came up to me at half-time in that game and asked me to move back to centre, using the excuse that they were missing my penetration in the midfield.”

Former Wales outside half Cliff Jones was the chairman of the Big Five at the time and had summoned Jarrett for a meeting at Rodney Parade before picking him. He was all too aware of the problems that his new man could face, but obviously saw something special in him.

He offered him some advice: “I could meet you every day for the next five years and I still wouldn’t be able to teach you how to become a full-back. So, all I’m going to tell you to do against England is this – when they have the ball stand between 30 to 40 yards behind Dai Watkins; stand that far back and you will be running onto the ball instead of turning and going backwards.”

Needless to say it worked! The youngster never took a backward step and stunned the crowd, and England, with a sensational 60 yard solo try up the left touchline from the Taff End to Westgate Street.

“As for the game against England, I heard about one second of noise and then it went deadly quiet for me for the rest of the match. Maybe it was concentration, but I didn’t hear the crowd at all.

“I know people said that I looked cool and took it all in my stride, but my nerves were so bad that day – even after I scored my try.

“The ball bounced nicely for me from Colin McFadyean’s attempted touch kick and I just automatically went for it. The first thing I did when we got back to the changing room was to ask our physio Gerry Lewis for a fag and I went and sat in a corner by myself, puffing away happily.

Newport RFC 1966/67

“I was lucky in a way because I had three or four of my Newport clubmates in the team to help me through it all. The funny thing about that game was that at the time I thought we had totally outplayed them but when I saw the video later they had murdered us up front.

“I guess that was the greatest day of my rugby career – though it remains the only full match I ever played at full back for Wales.”

His was only the second try scored by a Welsh full back and the first since Viv Jenkins crossed against Ireland in 1934.

WHAT HAPPENED AFTERWARDS

There was an inevitable request for a TV interview after the match, although in those days it meant a hike from the dressing rooms up to the gantry at the back of the South Stand. It wasn’t until more than an hour after the game that the hero of the day got taken to chat to the BBC’s Peter West.

As he climbed through the seats to the ladder that would take him to the TV area, Jarrett recognised a familiar face. It was his Headmaster from Monmouth School.

“He extended his arm to shake my hand and just said ‘well done Jarrett’. He said he thought they’d want to interview me and he’s waited all that time just to ensure he could congratulate me,” added Jarrett.

The Welsh hero was also grateful for the encouragement he received throughout his time at Monmouth from his school coach Rod Sealy, who allowed him to experiment on the field.

“If something didn’t come off all he said was try it again. It meant that when I played for Wales there was no fear about trying different things.”

There is also a great story about how his greatest day ended. It is said that just before midnight at a Cardiff bus driver, recognising Jarrett walking along the pavement, offered to take him to Newport once he had reported back to the bus depot.

At first his boss said no but, on hearing who the sole passenger was going to be, did a rapid U-turn and instructed the driver to “take a double-decker – just in case Mr Jarrett wants to go upstairs for a smoke.”

Jarrett went on the British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa in 1968, but his trip was ruined by tonsilitis and he lost around two stone because of the illness. In the 1969 Five Nations campaign, he scored a Welsh Championship record 31 points to help secure the Triple Crown and the title

He turned professional with Barrow after returning from the summer tour to New Zealand and Australia in 1969. His signing on fee was £14,000.

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