{{Short description|Australia & Scotland international rugby union player}} {{Use Australian English|date=October 2023}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}} {{Infobox rugby biography | name = Doug Keller | image = | caption = | birth_name = Douglas Holcombe Keller | nickname = | birth_date = {{Birth date|1922|06|18|df=yes}} | birth_place = Wee Waa, Australia | death_date = {{death date and age|2004|03|20|1922|06|18|df=yes}} | death_place = Sydney, Australia | height = | weight = | position = Flanker | amatyears1 = 1942-45 | amatyears2 = 1946-47 | amatyears3 = | amatyears4 = | amatyears5 = | amatyears6 = 1952 | amatteam1 = Sydney University | amatteam2 = Drummoyne | amatteam3 = Guy's Hospital | amatteam4 = London Scottish | amatteam5 = Sheffield | amatteam6 = Drummoyne | ru_amupdate = | repteam1 = Australia | repteam2 = Scotland | repyears1 = 1947-48 | repyears2 = 1949-50 | repcaps1 = 6 | repcaps2 = 7 | reppoints1 = 0 | reppoints2 = 0 | ru_ntupdate = | years1 = | apps1 = | points1 = | ru_clubupdate = | ru_currentclub = | province1 = New South Wales Waratahs | province2 = Anglo-Scots | province3 = Blues Trial | province4 = Scotland Probables | province5 = Yorkshire | provinceyears1 = 1947 | provinceyears2 = 1948 | provinceyears3 = 1948 | provinceyears4 = 1949 | provinceyears5 = 1950 | provinceapps1 = | provincepoints1 = | ru_provinceupdate = | repsevensyears1 = | ru_sevensnationalcaps = | ru_sevensnationalpoints = | ru_sevensupdate = | coachteams1 = | coachyears1 = | ru_coachupdate = | school = Sydney Grammar School | university = University of Sydney |amatteam7=Eastwood|amatyears7=1957}}
'''Doug Keller''' (18 June 1922 – 20 March 2004) was a Scotland international rugby union player and an Australia international rugby union player. He played at Flanker.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.espnscrum.com/australia/rugby/player/4968.html|title=Douglas Holcombe Keller|website=ESPN scrum}}</ref>
Keller was a noted urologist, and with a Scottish grandmother, on moving to London to study further in the field, he played rugby union for London Scottish to signal his availability to the Scottish national team.
==Rugby Union career==
===Amateur career===
He played rugby union for Sydney University.
He then moved to play for Drummoyne.
On moving to England, Keller first played for Guy's Hospital and then made use of his Scottish roots and played for London Scottish.
He played for Sheffield in 1950.<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000273/19501114/047/0005|title=|via=British Newspaper Archive}}</ref>
In 1952, he moved back to Australia. He returned to play for Drummoyne but retired mid season.
In 1957 he played for Eastwood. He was subsequently the Club's 1st Grade coach President and then Patron
===Provincial career===
Keller was picked to play for the New South Wales Waratahs.
On becoming known on Scotland's radar in London, he was selected for the Anglo-Scots to play against the Provinces District on 11 December 1948.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=GGgVawPscysC&dat=19481213&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|title=The Glasgow Herald - Google News Archive Search|website=news.google.com}}</ref>
Impressing in that match, Keller was then selected for the Blues Trial side in their match against the Whites Trial side on 18 December 1948.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=GGgVawPscysC&dat=19481220&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|title=The Glasgow Herald - Google News Archive Search|website=news.google.com}}</ref>
He was then placed in the Scotland Probables side for the final trial against Scotland Possibles on 8 January 1949. The Possibles won the match, but should have been more comfortably ahead at half time. In the second half, a stack of positional changes made the match a lot closer, one of which was to put Keller on as a flanker, together with Douglas Elliot.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=GGgVawPscysC&dat=19490110&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|title=The Glasgow Herald - Google News Archive Search|website=news.google.com}}</ref>
While at Sheffield, Keller played for Yorkshire, and captained the side.<ref name="auto1"/>
===International career===
He was capped first for Australia in 1947, first as a prop but was then moved to flanker, and played 6 times in total for the Wallabies.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=http://www.espnscrum.com/statsguru/rugby/player/4968.html|title=Rugby Union - ESPN Scrum - Statsguru - Player analysis - Doug Keller - Test matches|website=ESPN scrum}}</ref>
In the 1947-48 season, Keller played in 3 matches for Australia against Scottish districts:- North of Scotland, South of Scotland and Cities District, before playing against Scotland in November 1947.{{citation needed|date=October 2023}}
On moving to London and playing for London Scottish, he was then capped for Scotland in 1949, and played 7 times for the Scots.<ref name="auto"/>
Keller's nationality switch was not the only high-profile switch of the time. Ian Botting had made the move from the All Blacks to England. In 1950, the IRB voted to ban any oversea player from representing a Scottish, English, or Welsh national side, that had previously been capped by a British Commonwealth country; and this stymied Keller's future Scotland selection, as well as Botting's future England selection. The new rule did not preclude such a player switching nationalities once more to play for their first selected country, and Keller later returned to Australia.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://classicwallabies.com.au/players/douglas-holcombe-keller|title=Douglas Holcombe Keller | Rugby Union | Player | Classic Wallabies|website=classicwallabies.com.au}}</ref>
==Medical career==
He was a doctor and moved to London to study as a specialist urologist.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.espnscrum.com/scrum/rugby/story/52876.html|title=Australia and Scotland mourn loss of Doug Keller|website=ESPN scrum}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keller, Doug}} Category:1922 births Category:2004 deaths Category:Scottish rugby union players Category:Scotland international rugby union players Category:Rugby union flankers Category:Rugby union number eights Category:Sydney University Football Club players Category:Drummoyne RFC players Category:Blues Trial players Category:Scotland Probables players Category:Scottish Exiles (rugby union) players Category:London Scottish F.C. players Category:Yorkshire County RFU players Category:New South Wales rugby union team players Category:Sheffield RFC players Category:Australia international rugby union players Category:People from New England (New South Wales) Category:Rugby union players from New South Wales Category:Australian expatriate rugby union players in England Category:Australian expatriate rugby union players in Scotland Category:People educated at Sydney Grammar School