Bath scrum half Matt Keyte joins London Welsh
London Welsh have recruited exciting former England Under 18 scrum half Matt Keyte from Bath.
Keyte, 21, has been part of the Academy at the Recreation Ground since June 2009 and was last season dual registered with Bristol in the Championship.
A bright scrum half, who can spot an opening, Keyte is blessed with a fine pass, good communication skills and a sound kicking game.
He made his first team debut for Bath at Welford Road against Leicester Tigers in January 2010 in the Anglo-Welsh Cup. He has also impressed for Bath in the ‘A’ league.
Originally from London, Keyte first came to the attention of Harlequins, joining the club’s Academy at the age of 14, before his studies took him to Bath University and the Rec.
He was part of the England Under 18 side which secured third place in the 2008 AER Championship.
He also represented England at Under 16 and played for Surrey at County level. His former clubs include Crawley RFC and he has also represented Bath University, and earlier this year was called up by England Students to face Portugal, Wales Students and Emerging Italy.
“I’m still quite young and the club’s ambitions match my own, and working with Lyn [Jones] will be a huge bonus in terms of my development,” said Keyte. “That was a big factor; you always want to work with the best coaches.
“I’m friends with a few of the guys at Welsh and I’ve had really good feedback in terms of the coaching and player development. The guys said the environment is really friendly and it’s a real family club.
“At Bath I didn’t really feel I got the opportunities I needed to develop. I’m hoping being at London Welsh will give me the chance to get a bit more game time to help me develop as a player.”
London Welsh Head Coach Lyn Jones said: “Matt is a young lad like so many in England who has struggled to get enough opportunities to play at the top level.
“He has a good work ethic and an exceptional pass, and will complement the other guys we have in our squad.”