Don Tarr
Encyclopedia
Donald "Don" James Tarr was a Welsh
international hooker who played club rugby for Swansea
and Cardiff
, county rugby for Hampshire and invitational rugby for the Barbarians
. Tarr was a career naval officer, reaching the rank of Lieutenant Commander
in the Royal Navy
.
. In 1933 Tarr joined Swansea alongside one of his school boys team mates, Claude Davey
, and both lined up for Swansea against the touring New Zealand team
in 1935. Both men were last minute substitutes, as Tarr was a replacement for the injured Tom Day
and Davey was brought from Sale to cover for Idwal Rees
. When Swansea beat the All Blacks, they became the first club team to beat all three major Southern Hemisphere teams. Tarr would face the same touring All Blacks another two times at club level; the Combined Services team at Aldershot and a joint Hampshire/Sussex county team.
Later in 1935, Tarr was selected to face the same touring New Zealand team, but this time for Wales
. This was Tarr's one and only cap for the senior team because of an injury so serious that rugby journalist Huw Richards would say in 2010 that Tarr "probably came closer to dying on the pitch than anyone else ever has in an international match." With ten minutes of the match remaining, a loose scrum broke up to reveal Tarr laying motionless on the ground, and the referee, Cyril Gadney, called for a stretcher. Gadney ensured no-one moved Tarr before medical aid arrived and Tarr was lifted still face down onto the stretcher and was removed from the pitch. This action is thought to have saved his life as Tarr had suffered a broken neck. Although Wales were 12-10 down at the time, and now a man light, they recovered strongly and after Rees-Jones scored a try
, Idwal Rees kept a strong defence to allow Wales a 13-12 victory.
Tarr's injury kept him from ever playing again for Wales, although he is recorded to have played one match post-injury for Ammanford. In a coincidence, his opposite number at hooker in his only appearance for Wales, Bill Hadley, was born on the same day as Tarr.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
international hooker who played club rugby for Swansea
Swansea RFC
Swansea Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team which plays in the Welsh Premier Division. Its home ground is St Helens Rugby and Cricket Ground in Swansea. The team is sometimes known as The Whites because of the primary colour of the team strip...
and Cardiff
Cardiff RFC
Cardiff Rugby Football Club is a rugby union football club based in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. The club was founded in 1876 and played their first few matches at Sophia Gardens, but soon relocated to Cardiff Arms Park where they have been based ever since...
, county rugby for Hampshire and invitational rugby for the Barbarians
Barbarian F.C.
The Barbarian Football Club, usually referred to as the Barbarians and nicknamed the "Baa-Baas", is an invitational rugby union team based in Britain...
. Tarr was a career naval officer, reaching the rank of Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
.
Rugby career
Tarr began his rugby career as a school boy, representing the Welsh Secondary Schools team. In the 1927 secondary school game against France, Tarr was one of seven Welsh players that would later represent their country at senior level. Tarr joined Cardiff in 1931 and soon found himself in the squad to face the touring South African team1931-32 South Africa rugby union tour
The 1931-32 South Africa tour of Britain and Ireland was a collection of friendly rugby union games undertaken by the South Africa national rugby union team against the four British Home Nation teams. The tour also took in several matches against British and Irish club, county and invitational teams...
. In 1933 Tarr joined Swansea alongside one of his school boys team mates, Claude Davey
Claude Davey
Claude Davey was a Wales international rugby union player who played club rugby for several teams, most notably Sale and Swansea. He was awarded 23 caps for Wales and captained his country eight times...
, and both lined up for Swansea against the touring New Zealand team
1935-36 New Zealand rugby union tour of the British Isles and Canada
-Matches:-Three-Quarters:* N. Ball * H.M. Brown * G.F. Hart * N.A. Mitchell * C.J. Oliver -Five-eighths:* J.L. Griffiths * T.H.C. Caughey * J.R. Page...
in 1935. Both men were last minute substitutes, as Tarr was a replacement for the injured Tom Day
Tom Day (rugby player)
Tom Day was a Wales international rugby union player who played club rugby for Swansea. He was awarded 13 caps for Wales and was part of the Welsh side that won the 1931 Five Nations Championship....
and Davey was brought from Sale to cover for Idwal Rees
Idwal Rees
Idwal Rees was a Welsh international rugby union centre who played club rugby for Swansea and Cambridge University.-Rugby career:Rees first played rugby for Swansea Grammar School, but when he graduated to Swansea University at the age of 17, he gave up rugby as he believed he was too light to play...
. When Swansea beat the All Blacks, they became the first club team to beat all three major Southern Hemisphere teams. Tarr would face the same touring All Blacks another two times at club level; the Combined Services team at Aldershot and a joint Hampshire/Sussex county team.
Later in 1935, Tarr was selected to face the same touring New Zealand team, but this time for Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
. This was Tarr's one and only cap for the senior team because of an injury so serious that rugby journalist Huw Richards would say in 2010 that Tarr "probably came closer to dying on the pitch than anyone else ever has in an international match." With ten minutes of the match remaining, a loose scrum broke up to reveal Tarr laying motionless on the ground, and the referee, Cyril Gadney, called for a stretcher. Gadney ensured no-one moved Tarr before medical aid arrived and Tarr was lifted still face down onto the stretcher and was removed from the pitch. This action is thought to have saved his life as Tarr had suffered a broken neck. Although Wales were 12-10 down at the time, and now a man light, they recovered strongly and after Rees-Jones scored a try
Try
A try is the major way of scoring points in rugby league and rugby union football. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area...
, Idwal Rees kept a strong defence to allow Wales a 13-12 victory.
Tarr's injury kept him from ever playing again for Wales, although he is recorded to have played one match post-injury for Ammanford. In a coincidence, his opposite number at hooker in his only appearance for Wales, Bill Hadley, was born on the same day as Tarr.