Donald James Tarr (11 March 1910 – 4 June 1980) was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

international hooker who played club rugby for

Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...

and

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

, county rugby for Hampshire and invitational rugby for the

Barbarians A barbarian is a person or tribe of people that is perceived to be primitive, savage and warlike. Many cultures have referred to other cultures as barbarians, sometimes out of misunderstanding and sometimes out of prejudice. A "barbarian" may ...

. Tarr was a career naval officer, reaching the rank of Lieutenant Commander in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

.Ammanford RFC history
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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.Smith (1980), pg 241. Tarr joined Cardiff in 1931 and soon found himself in the squad to face the touring South African team.Billot (1974), pg 153. In 1933 Tarr joined Swansea alongside one of his school boys teammates,

Claude Davey Claude Davey (14 December 1908 – 18 February 2001) 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. Dave ...

, 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.Billot (1972), pg 91. 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 ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. 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 arrivedThomas, JBG and Harding, Rowe (eds.) ''Rugby in Wales''; Christopher Davies Publishers Ltd, Swansea pg.35-36(1970) 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.Smith (1980), pg 291. 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.

International matches played

WalesSmith (1980), pg 472. * 1935

Bibliography

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tarr, Don 1910 births 1980 deaths Ammanford RFC players Barbarian F.C. players Cardiff RFC players People educated at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman Royal Navy officers Rugby union hookers Rugby union players from Carmarthenshire Swansea RFC players Wales international rugby union players Welsh rugby union players