Gareth Meredith Griffiths was born in Penygraig on 27 November 1931 and educated at Porth County School and Loughborough College. Initially a teacher he later became a successful public relations consultant. On his Barbarians' debut against Swansea in 1953 he scored a hat-trick of tries and went on to total 11, including one against New Zealand in 1954, in 13 games for the Club. He also toured Canada with the Barbarians in 1957. A member of the Cardiff and Wales teams that beat New Zealand in 1953, Gareth Griffiths played seven internationals in the centre and five on the wing for Wales between 1953 and 1957. In 1955 he joined the British Isles tour of South Africa as a replacement and played in 12 games, including three test matches.