THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT WALES AT TWICKENHAM
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* Wales hold the distinction of being the first international team to play at Twickenham. That opening Test was on Saturday, 15th January, 1910. Wales kicked-off and the Bridgend forward Ben Gronow, later of considerable Rugby League fame, had the honour of starting the first international at the ground. Adrian Stoop launched an immediate attack from the kick-off and England scored the opening try at their new home within a minute of the start. England went on to win 11-6 to beat Wales for the first time in 12 years.
* Ben Gronow’s jersey from that game recently sold for £6,000 at auction.
* Billy Trew was the Welsh captain that day and England were led by Adrian Stoop. There was at least one Welshman who tasted success at Twickenham in that opening international. England scrum half Dai Gent was born in Llandovery and only moved to Gloucester when he couldn’t get into the Welsh side.
* There were eight new caps in the England team and two in the Welsh line-up. The Welsh side had six players from the Swansea club.
* There was a crowd of 18,000 for that opening international. Two years later the numbers had swelled to 20,000. By 1921, the numbers had grown to 40,000
* In the first post-World War 1 meeting between England and Wales at Twickenham, in 1921, there were five players in the English team with Welsh links. Ernie Hammett and Reg Edwards were both playing for Newport. Hammett had played for Wales at amateur soccer against England and had turned down a Welsh rugby trial. Edwards was born in Pontypool, as was fellow forward Tom Woods. Another forward, Ernie Gardiner, was also Welsh born, while WJA Davies, the outside half, was born in Pembroke. The 15 point winning margin – 18-3 – stood as a record until 1990 when England won 34-6
* In 1923, England scored one of the fastest ever international tries. They kicked-off through Wavell Wakefield and the strong wind blew the ball back into the arms of fellow forward Herbert Price. He attempted a drop at goal, but his kick sailed wide of the posts. The Welsh defenders waited, expecting the ball to go dead, but instead the faithful Price caught it before it went dead to claim a try within 10 seconds of the start. England won 7-3.
* The Prince of Wales was among a 35,000 strong crowd at Twickenham to see England win 12-6 in 1925. Two years later, in 1927, there were 50,000 crammed into the crowd to see England make it seven wins in a row at ‘HQ’ over Wales, this time 11-9.
* A last gasp penalty from the Blackheath forward Brian Black denied Wales a first victory at Twickenham in 1931. His second penalty, kicked from 50 metres, came moments after Jack Morley had run in a try and skipper Jack Bassett had added the conversion. The game ended in an 11-11 draw.
* At the 10th attempt Wales finally triumphed at Twickenham on Saturday, 21 January, 1933. Wales had seven new caps, including Rydal schoolboy Wilf Wooller, in a side under the leadership of No.8 Watcyn Thomas. The game became a personal triumph for the Cardiff wing Ronnie Boon, who scored a try and dropped a goal to clinch a 7-3 victory in front of 64,000 fans.
* England fielded nine new caps in 1935 and managed to clinch a 3-3 draw thanks to a late penalty from debutant full back Harry Boughton. The Gloucester bus driver levelled the scores after Wilf Wooller had scored a try. This was the first time in 21 games against Wales since 1909 that England had failed to score a try.
* In 1937, Wales wing Bill Clement and England prop Robin Prescott made their international debuts against each other. A Hal Sever drop goal outdid a Wilf Wooller try as England won 4-3. In later years Clement and Prescott became the Secretaries of their respective Unions.
* Wales launched their 1950 and 1952 Grand Slam campaigns with victories at Twickenham. John Gwilliam captained Wales on both occasions. In 1950, there were an estimated 25,000 Welsh fans among a record attendance at the ground of 75,532. After this match the RFU made their internationals all-ticket affairs.
* The 1954 clash was the first all-ticket international at Twickenham and England snatched victory with a last minute try to triumph 9-6.
* In 1956, there were 10 of the 1955 British Lions tourists in the two teams. Wales bagged their third win of the decade at Twickenham, 9-6.
* Imagine the scene. You are in the dressing room at Twickenham preparing to make your Welsh debut against the old enemy in the opening round of matches in the Five Nations Championship.
You have dreamt of this moment all your life, worked so hard to finally arrive on the Wales team sheet. The Secretary of the WRU comes into the dressing room with the jerseys and you hold back the emotions as you are handed your first one. Then it suddenly dawns on you that something vital is missing – the Welsh feathers!
So started the international career of Abertillery flanker Haydn Morgan on January 18th, 1958. A manufacturer’s error meant that Wales were supplied with red only trial jerseys instead of the fully fledged, and badged, international shirts.
“I don’t think anyone realised before, during or after the match. It was amazing,” said WRU Secretary, Bill Clement. Wales drew 3-3 thanks to a 45 yard penalty from Llanelli fullback Terry Davies. Morgan went on to play 26 more times for his country and made two tours with the British Lions.
* So relieved were the Welsh fans at seeing Terry Davies’s penalty soar over the cross bar to force the draw in 1958, that a few of them decided to take a souvenir. Led by Fred Mathias, a top Welsh jockey from Manorbier, a group climbed back into Twickenham after dark and sawed down the cross bar at the north end.
They cut it into three, 3ft pieces to take back with them to Pembrokeshire the next day. Stopping for a cup of tea in a Cotswolds café on the Sunday they were delighted when Davies came in behind them and agreed to sign their prized souvenirs.
The attitude at Twickenham by this time was not, however, quite as favourable. Nothing like this had ever happened before at ‘HQ’ and an investigation was begun.
As it happened, Davies was a timber merchant and offered to replace the cross bar himself. However, Mathias owned up and wrote a letter of apology to the Secretary of the RFU, Colonel Doug Prentice.
The cross bar can still be found in pride of place in a pub in Manorbier.
* The Sixties saw three draws – 0-0 in ’62, 6-6 in ’64 and 11-11 in ’68 – and a victory apiece. The 1968 game saw Gareth Edwards score his first try for Wales in a game which saw David Nash become the first National Coach to be used by any of the Five Nations.
* Welsh ascendancy in the Seventies saw them triumph four times, losing only in 1974. Victories at Twickenham kick-started Grand Slams in 1976 and 1978, although the margins of victory were never more than 11 points.
* England’s win in 1974 was their first over Wales in 11 years.
* Wales flanker Paul Ringer became the first player to be sent off at Twickenham since Cyril Brownlie in 1925 when Irish referee Dave Burnett gave him his marching orders for a later tackle on John Horton. Wales scored two tries, but Dusty Hare kicked three penalties to win 9-8 to secure the third leg of their Grand Slam.
* England failed to score a try in four of the five games against Wales at Twickenham in the Eighties. Rob Andrew kicked six penalties and a drop goal to claim all his side’s points in the 21-18 win in 1986.
* The 1990 game at Twickenham saw England bag a host of records. Their four tries were the most scored by any side in the fixture since the ground opened in 1910, their 34 points was the highest scored in the fixture and their winning margin of 28 points was another new landmark.
* England went victorious throughout the Nineties, scoring 19 tries and conceding only eight.
* England’s 1998 victory by 60-26 erased the records of 1990 for highest points (60), biggest winning margin (34) and most tries (8). Wales scored their most points at the ground (26) and their most tries (4). The 60 points were the most ever conceded by a Welsh side in the championship.
* The new millennium brought more of the same agony for Wales with England making it nine championship wins in a row and adding a pre-2007 RWC warm-up victory as well.
* England have scored 28 tries in five games at Twickenham against Wales in the Noughties. The Welsh response has been five tries.
* The 62-5 defeat in the 2007 RWC warm-up match was a record defeat against England. The 62 points, 57 points margin and nine tries conceded were all records. So, too, were the four tries for an English forward scored by Nick Easter.
