But there was a time when Boxing Day was one of the busiest days of the season – and there were even games for player and fans to enjoy on Christmas Day itself.
The days between 23-31 December always used to be chock-a-block with matches, with teams travelling to south Wales to spend their Christmases on the rugby pitch.
1909 Christmas fixtures
London Welsh started the trend way back in 1885, when they beat Swansea on Boxing Day, and Watsonians, London Irish, Wasps and the Universities Athletic Union were other regulars down the years.
His weekend sees Cardiff Blues heading to Rodney Parade to face the Dragons in what has become the biggest derby in east Wales in the professional era.
In the west it is Ospreys against Scarlets, which has taken over the mantle of the huge box-office game between Swansea and Llanelli that was traditionally played around New Year from the mid eighties.
Both Llanelli and Swansea played regularly on Christmas Day, with Stradey Park being one of the busiest rugby grounds in the world over the holiday period.
The Christmas tradition began in their seventh season, 1882-83, when Neath travelled to face them on Boxing Day. London Welsh made their first visit to Stradey Park on Christmas Eve, 1886, and returned in 1912 and 1913.
After making a welcome return on Christmas Day 1919 post-WW1 they became a permanent Boxing Day fixture from 1920-1938 and then from the resumption of club matches post-WW2 in 1945 all the way through to the professional era.
The Exiles always provide top notch opposition, and drew in a big crowd, but they weren’t the first to test the home team in Llanelli over Christmas. London Irish made their debut at Stradey Park in on Boxing Day 1908 and returned on the same day in 1910.
They were Christmas day rivals in 1912 as Llanelli played on four consecutive days on their home ground. Having beaten the Irish 6-3 they drew 0-0 with London Welsh on Boxing Day, pipped Abertillery 5-0 a day later and then got past Cheltenham 11-0 on the 28th.
Nine times London Irish met Llanelli on Christmas Day between 1920-30, while other teams who travelled to Stradey Park on that day were Llanegennch (1897), Penygraig (1905,06,11), Bective Rangers (1909, Cross Keys (1913) and Ammanford (1924). Then came the era of the UAU, the team picked from the best students across the UK universities.
Llanelli v UAU in 1967
They made their Christmas Day debut at Stradey Park in 1936 having played on Christmas Eve two years earlier and 27 December the previous year.
They played on Christmas Day in 1937 and then re-emerged post-WW2 to play on that same day 15 times, and four times on Christmas Eve, between 1945-67.
It wasn’t all one way traffic, though, as Llanelli headed north in 1884, 85 and 86 to play away from home. Their debut didn’t turn out too well with four defeats in the space of five days against Dewsbury, Hull, Bradford and Halifax.
This is how the Llanelli and County Guardian reporter reflected on the trip as recounted in the club’s official history ‘The Scarlets’:
“Dewsbury – Llanelly had the best of a grand match and won unusual praise. After the match the Llanelly team were taken to the theatre to witness the operetta Olivette, returning to rest some time in the morning. They were out again at six o’clock to take the train to Hull, where they had all they deserved – and what their injudicious conduct had made almost certain – a good thrashing. The rest afforded by Sunday enabled out men to pick up somewhat, and when they met the famous Bradford team they were in much improved condition. However, by the time of the fourth match they were tired and worn out.”
A year on things had certainly improved. This time their epic journey started with a defeat at Batley on Christmas Day and was followed by a Boxing Day draw at Dewsbury, another draw two days later and finally a win at Castleford on 30 December.
In 1886, they played five games in 10 days, starting with home fixtures on 23 and 24 December against Llandovery College and London Welsh. Then they headed north to play Brighouse (loss) and Dewsbury (win) on consecutive days before finishing off with a New Year’s Day draw at Mossley.
There was a trip to the south west in 1893 after a home clash with Oldham on 23 December. Christmas Eve brought a 5-3 win at Devonport Albion and Boxing Day saw Exeter defeated 14-0. The tour ended with a draw in Redruth on 30 December.
Cardiff v Watsonians programme 1951
The Scottish club Watsonians were the other great Christmas tourists between the 1890s and 1970s, They regularly played at Swansea on Christmas Day, Newport on Boxing Day and tagged on a match against Llanelli or Cardiff the day after for good measure.
They first played in Wales in 1894 and had a forward sent off for foul play at the Arms Park in 1896. The disapproving crowd hooted the player loudly, although the tourists were always able to charm the home fans by bringing their own piper to play during the games.
From the 1946 Boxing Day programme for Newport v Watsonians:
“All of us will agree that a Boxing Day match in Newport without the Watsonians wouldn’t be quite complete. They are always a party of gay adventurers, and bring with them an atmosphere so fitting to the festive season. Their football is always so sporting and enjoyable – they enter into the fray with such zest and enjoyment that as a Rugby team they have always appealed to Newportonians and are established favourites.”
“The ‘Grey-beards’ on the popular side will be telling all and sundry that they remember the Watsonians back in the 1890’s. Schoolboys from John Watson’s College, Edinburgh – my eye for a yarn. A lot of wild Scotsmen they were, big and brawny, I remember how they used to arrive at the ground all changed for the match in a four-horse brake from the Westgate. Dressed in kilts they were – along with the skirl of the bag-pipes, and fine footballers they were, too. They do say they drink whisky like we do beer – no wonder they can play. Those were the days! Happy memories!
“Indeed for all of us the Watsonians bring happy memories. We remember some of the personalities of the past – Dallas, Cunningham, Angus, Milray, Pearson, and then since the First World War, Selby, Nimms, Carmichael, Kerr, Fyfe, Bertram, Geddes, and scores of others. Illustrious names, fine footballers and grand chaps.
“The Watsonians first visited Newport in 1894 and have been welcomed as regular visitors ever since. In all there have been 42 games between the two clubs, of which Newport have won 34, lost five, and three have been drawn. In 1934 the Watsonians, gaining their first victory at Newport for 29 years, won handsomely by 16 points to 6. They were successful here again in 1935 by 3 points to nil, while in 1936 the match resulted in a draw of 10 points each. On their last visit on Boxing Day, 1938, Newport just won a great contest by 2 tries to 1.
“To-day we start another era. We are sure the game will be worthy of the occasion, and we all sincerely hope that for many, many years to come the ‘Watties’ will be our welcome and cherished visitors.”
The spirit of the Watsonians tour was probably best summed up by Ian Robertson, the former Scotland outside half and BBC rugby commentator, who toured with the club during his career. He outlined some of the fun and frolics that were commonplace on their Christmas tour of south Wales in an article for the programme for the match against Newport in 1974.
“The first time I met the Welsh constabulary was, curiously enough, on my first Welsh Tour with Watsonians in December 1962. It was nothing too serious really but they seemed to show undue concern about the fact that we had just demolished the Mackworth Hotel in Swansea. In truth we couldn’t take all the credit because we had first class support from London Welsh and the UAU. I had arranged a game of cricket in the lounge and was batting with the aid of a large cider bottle against a mixed attack of Babycham, Bitter Lemon, Tonic Water and Lemonade bottles. I was despatching glass to every corner of the room, when the local police officers arrived. Suggestions that one of them should take up the silly mid on position and the other could try long stop were not at all well received and so our impromptu cricket match came to an end and with it all future Watsonian connections with the Mackworth.
“This was a pretty serious blow because not every hotel manager welcomes rugby teams on tour and even less so at Christmas. For example, that particular year we had booked in as the Edinburgh Operatic Society. Sadly an attempt at reinstatement in the Mack-worth the following day as the East of Scotland Evangelical Union was quickly spotted and rejected.”
“Of course it was not only hotels that suffered. British Rail also felt the backlash of the Watsonians on tour. A few years ago British Rail ran a special Boxing Day train from Cardiff to London with only one stop at Newport, to unload the Watsonians. As the train chugged out of Cardiff a long Watsonian arm was seen to lean out of the window and relieve the guard of his hat and green flag. With the flag covering the badge on his club blazer and the hat on his head, the player in question went the whole length of the train collecting every single ticket and then in each compartment with dead-pan face he threw them out of the window in full view of the passengers. He explained it was the non stop express to London and they wouldn’t be needed again. Just imagine the scene at Padding-ton when six hundred people arrived at the ticket barrier with no tickets and the same ridiculous story. We now travel by coach.
“Unwelcome by hotels – Yes. Unwelcome by British Rail – Yes. But always very welcome at Rodney Parade.”
There were crowds of 10,000 and more at St Helen’s on Christmas Day when the Scottish side visited Swansea and there was always a big gate at Newport as well. Of all the tourists to Wales around the festive period they rival London Welsh as the most popular.
Cardiff’s first Christmas fixture was a local derby against the newly formed Roath club on Boxing Day, 1877. They then met Pontypridd for the first time on the day after Christmas, in what became a legendary fixture between 1991-96, in 1883.
The Blue & Blacks’ biggest rivals in the early days were the Barbarians on Boxing Day. They played 19 times at the Arms Park between 1892-1920, mainly on 26 December. However, in 1905, they faced the touring All Blacks on that day in a game they lost 10-8 – their only defeat of an otherwise amazing season.
Aberavon, Bridgend and Maesteg all used to play on Christmas Day and Ebbw Vale met the Wizards for eh first time on 25 December, 1922. That was the first and last time the Steelmen played on Christmas Day and came after they had already faced Blaenavon and Cross Keys over the festive period.
Ebbw embarked on a number of Boxing Day adventures in the Thirties, playing Rugby, Devonport Services, Taunton and Exeter.
There may only be one game for fans to feast on this Christmas, but there will be a return to normality sometime in the future..
