Everything was on the line when Ireland, the 1935 champions, headed to Cardiff for the decisive match in the 1936 Home Nations tournament at the Arms Park on 14 March.
Wales had already beaten Jack Manchester’s All Blacks, 13-12, earlier in the season and had fought out a 0-0 draw with England in Swansea. They then ran in three tries in a 13-3 win over Scotland at Murrayfield.
The Irish had their first Triple Crown since 1899 firmly in their sights. They had already beaten England 6-3 in Dublin and taken care of the Scots, 10-4, in Edinburgh, to stretch their winning sequence in the Championship to four games.
For Idwal Rees’ Welsh side there was the chance of picking up another Championship title – they had triumphed in 1931 – and going through the season undefeated. The stage was set for a winner-takes-all contest and the fans loved it.
SO WHAT HAPPENED?
- Westgate Street was overrun by fans who rushed at the gates, which had been closed two hours before the kick off.
- The police were overwhelmed and the fire brigade was called from the station just opposite the Arms Park. They hosed the crowd, after having cleared water off the pitch.
- The ground capacity was broken and the attendance figure was probably close to 70,000, with fans standing around the touchlines.
- A former miner from Trealaw, the father of nine children, died, 20 more were taken to hospital and St John’s Ambulance treated 200 fans with injuries.
- English referee Cyril Gadney had great trouble getting into the ground after a steward told him: “We’ve had three referees here already!”
- One fan climbed 200 ft up the side of scaffolding on a building in Park Street to get a vantage point to watch the game, while others.
- Between 7-8,000 Irish fans were reckoned to have made the trip to Cardiff and Cathay’s Park had 300 cars and 250 buses parked up as all roads led to the capital city.
- The band of the 1st Rifle Battalion Monmouthshire Regiment played on the pitch before the match and watched as an estimated 10,000 fans flowed onto the grass around the pitch.
THE GAME – WALES 3 – 0 IRELAND
It was definitely not a classic, but Wales deserved to come out on top in a real dog-fight up front. Ireland missed a number of penalties and also saw a last-gasp drop goal attempt from outside half Victor Hewitt drift wide on the wind.
Viv Jenkins
In those days drop goals were worth four points and had Hewitt’s kick crept inside the post it would have won the game. In the end, a single penalty goal from Wales full back Viv Jenkins won the game.
New cap Willie Davies kicked the ball deep into the Irish 22 and from the line-out the forward Michael Sayers was punished for not playing the ball after a tackle. Up stepped Jenkins and over went the match winning kick in only the 20th minute.
Before kick-off the Welsh captain, Idwal Rees had to go with the referee to appeal to the fans on the touchline to move back from the field of play.
“While the crowd was on occasions apt to encroach upon the touchline, they were well behaved and quite willing to move when requested. On the occasions when the referee and myself personally asked them to move back from the line at the post-officer corner of the ground they were only too ready to do so and to be as helpful as possible,” said Rees.
Wales: Viv Jenkins (London Welsh); Idwal Rees (Swansea, captain), Willie Davies (Swansea), Wilf Wooller (Cambridge University), Barney McCall (Newport); Cliff Jones (Cambridge University), Haydn Tanner (Swansea); Tom Rees (Newport), Bryn Evans (Llanelli), Tabber Williams (Cross Keys), Griff Williams (Aberavon), Harold Thomas (Neath), Edgar Long (Swansea), Arthur Rees (London Welsh), Jim Lang (Llanelli)
Ireland: George Malcolmson (NIFC); Vesey Boyle (Dublin University), Aidan Bailey (UC Dublin), Laurence McMahon (UC Dublin), Joe O’Connor (UC Cork); Victor Hewitt (Instonians), George Morgan (Clontarf); Sam Walker (Instonians), Bob Graves (Wandererrs), Charles Beamish (NIFC), Jack Russell (UC Cork), Seamus Deering (Bective Rangers), Bob Alexander (NIFC), Mike Sayers (Lansdowne), Jack Siggins (Belfast Collegians, captain)
Referee: Cyril Gadney (England)
WHAT THE PAPERS HAD TO SAY
“Such tremendous interest had been kindled in the game that the ground was packed, and spectators were packed 15 deep round the touch and goal lines. When the teams came onto the field at 3.30pm Mr C.H Gadney (England), the referee, had to delay the start five minutes while he and J.I Rees, the Welsh captain, appealed to the crowd not to encroach onto the field.” – Daily Mail
“I have never seen such scenes before a match as we have had here today. So many people were about that an hour and a quarter before the time for the kick-off the main gates were closed. When I got to my seat there were thousands of people inside the railings – and precious near the field of play – and that was an hour before the start of the match.
“So many Irishmen can never have been to a match in Wales, or anywhere else outside of Ireland. When Siggins kicked off for Ireland the spectators were within a few feet of both touchlines, and the dead ball line.” – Dai Gent in the Sunday Times
“The destinies of men and of nations are often determined by a commonplace decision or a seemingly minor happening. With even greater frequency great sporting events run into their appointed groves through this or that trifling incident, and sporting history is made! So it was in the greatest Rugby game of the season, played in an amazing setting at Cardiff Arms Park on Saturday, when Wales beat Ireland by one penalty goal to nil.
“One place kick, taken by Vivian Jenkins, the Welsh full back, deserves to become historic. That one kick gave Wales victory and the Rugby Championship for the first time since 1931; it doomed Ireland to defeat, deprived Ireland of the Championship won in 1935, and ended the fond hopes of many thousands of Irishmen that in 1936 Ireland would regain the ‘Triple Crown’ for the first time in 27 years.” – Old Stager in the Western Mail
