WALES 3 IRELAND 0
(at the Arms Park, Cardiff).
Westgate Street was over-run by fans who rushed 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 already cleared water off the pitch.
The ground capacity was broken and it was probably close to 70,000 who entered, standing all around the touchlines very much as had happened in the 1923 F.A.Cup final at Wembley. Referee Cyril Gadney of England had great trouble in getting in after a steward told him: ‘We’ve had three referees here already!’
Ireland were going for their first Triple Crown in 37 years, while for Wales a win would have given them the championship. A penalty by full back Vivian Jenkins was the only score, coming after 20 minutes when Michael Sayers, an Ireland forward, was penalised for not playing the ball after a tackle.
In the closing minutes, Ireland fly half Victor Hewitt had a chance to win the match with a drop goal (then worth four points) but the wind took the ball outside the posts.
Willie Davies, Swansea’s 19-year-old fly-half, was chosen at centre after Claude Davey had withdrawn with a leg injury. Davies, the cousin of scrum half Haydn Tanner, switched successfully to Bradford Northern Rugby League club in 1939.
Scorer.
Wales – Pen: Viv Jenkins.
Wales v Ireland 1914
