IRELAND v WALES 1950 - great Welsh victory

IRELAND v WALES, Ravenhill, Belfast. March 11, 1950

Match report

Wales won by two tries (6) to one penalty goal (3)

Three minutes to go. The score: 3-3. Welsh hopes of the Triple Crown after 39 years were fading. Ireland heeled on their own 25. Jackie Kyle was bound to clear to touch. But Ray Cale pounced round the scrum to harass Carroll. As the scrum half desperately shovelled the ball out to Kyle, Cale went with it. What a fearsome combination for even a fly half of Kyle's quality: a bad pass and a deadly tackler at the same time. The ball rolled loose, but at least Kyle was spared to become a missionary in Africa. Cleaver picked up and fed Lewis Jones: the winning try was taking shape. Lewis Jones, in his new position of centre, drew full back Norton and sent a long pass swinging out to Malcolm Thomas. There were 15 yards to go as the Welsh wing threw back his head and ran for the Triple Crown.

Corner-flaggers streamed across like a cloud of locusts. They hit Thomas as he dived for the corner. Down everyone crashed, corner flag and all. Was it a try? There were agonising hour- long seconds before referee R A Beattie (Scotland) raised his arm and Wales had won. If Irish touch judge Ossie Glasgow had signalled that Thomas had knocked down the flag before grounding the ball there would have been few Welsh protests. It was a marginal decision either way.

There was no score in the first half. Then a Ken Jones try was cancelled out by George Norton's penalty goal. It was a tough baptism for new Welsh full back Gerwyn Williams, but he went on to win 13 caps. The jubilation ended on Sunday morning, when a Tudor V aircraft crashed at Llandow, near Cardiff; and 80 Welsh rugby fans died in the worst civil air disaster in history up to that time. It was a shadow across the first Triple Crown triumph since 1911. So for the eighth time Wales had won the honour.

Ireland: G W Norton (Bective); NI Lane (Univ. Coll., Cork), R J H Uprichard (RAF), G C Phipps (Rosslyn Park), L Crowe (Old Belvedere); JW Kyle (Queen's Univ., Belfast), R Carroll (Lansdowne); T Clifford (Young Munster), K D Mullen (Old Belvedere, capt.), D McKibbin (Queen's Univ., Belfast), J E Nelson, R Agar (Malone), J W McKay (Queen's Univ., Belfast), D J O'Brien (London Irish), J S McCarthy (Dolphin).

Wales: *Gerwyn Williams (London Welsh); K J Jones (Newport), Lewis Jones (Devonport Services), J Matthews (Cardiff), M C Thomas (Devonport Services); W B Cleaver, W R Willis (Cardiff); J D Robins (Birkenhead Park), D M Davies (Somerset Police), Cliff Davies (Cardiff), Roy John (Neath), Don Hayward (Newbridge), W R Cale (Pontypool), J A Gwilliam (Edinburgh Wands., capt.), R T Evans (Newport).

For Wales, Ken Jones and Malcolm Thomas scored tries. For Ireland, George Norton kicked a penalty goal.

(text from John Billot - "History of Welsh International Rugby" )

LLANDOW AIR DISASTER

It was on the 12th March 1950 that the hearts of the Llanharan and Abercarn Rugby Football Clubs were ripped out on a bright, sunlit afternoon when an AVRO-TUDOR V plane carrying 78 Welsh rugby fans and five crew crashed into a field near Llandow in the Vale of Glamorgan. The plane was packed with supporters fresh from celebrating a 6-3 victory over Ireland in Dublin, which had given Wales their first Triple Crown for 39 years and their eighth in all. Of the 83 people on board only three survived and numbered among the many dead were five members of the Llanharan rugby team including Henry Pascoe, nephew of former Welsh international forward Dan Pascoe of Bridgend. Seven were women, including the wife of one of the Llanharan players who perished, and the air hostess.

The Abercarn club badge now has a propeller on it to denote the tragic loss of its captain, baggage man and another player. The propeller is alongside the Prince of Wales feathers, which commemorate the Prince of Wales mining tragedy years before. The Llanharan crest also has a black cross in it to commemorate the six players who lost their lives. Mel Thomas, another playing member of the club, was one of the survivors who was found in a critical condition. Recalling the events of that day continue to bring sadness and emotion to the face of the 73-year-old, who played at centre or wing during his days with the club. "I don't like talking about the crash because it brings back too many bad memories," he said. "I lost six mates that day"

The crash, which at the time was the worst in the history of civil aviation, happened just 60 yards from the outskirts of the Llandow (Glamorgan) aerodrome which was used for civil flights long before facilities were developed at Rhoose Airport. Nearly half the passengers came from the Western and Eastern Valleys of Monmouthshire. Abercarn RFC were also hard hit when they lost their captain Don Rowlands, coach Ray Box and star centre Doug Burnett who was the brother of Roy the Newport and Wales outside half. Another casualty was the Abercarn kit-man Albert Robbins. Burnett's elder brother, Ivor, was also a member of the Abercarn Rugby Club but he had decided not to go on that fateful trip. Skipper Don Rowlands had been an air gunner during the war and spent four years solid flying. He didn't really want to go but, fatefully, was persuaded to do so.

The trip from the Greenhouse pub, in Llantarnam, was arranged by Squadron Leader Bill Irving. He had been shot down in North Africa , survived Dunkirk and done two tours fIying Lancaster bombers on 63 missions. There is a memorial to him at St Hilda's Church, Griffithstown; there is now a memorial at the site of the crash in Sigginston and there are plaques at both Llanharan and Abercarn clubhouses; Nantpennar Working Men's Club also has a tribute to the Abercarn boys. Two other survivors were Handel Rogers and "Gwyn Anthony, who were brothers-in-law from Llanelli. They were also taken to the Services Hospital at St Athan where they were given immediate medical assistance Handel Rogers went on to become a great servant of Llanelli Rugby Club and, in 1976, became President of the Welsh Rugby Union. Only he, and Mel Thomas, survive today from the crash

The tail and wrecked fuselage of the Avro-Tudor V stood out in sombre silhouette as dawn broke over the crash scene. Air Vice-Marshall Donald 'Pathfinder' Bennett, managing-director of Fairflight Ltd, the owners of the plane, was among the first visitors to survey the scene along with accident investigation officers of the Ministry of Civil Aviation. The giant Brabazon aircraft based at Bristol flew over the South Wales crash area on the morning after the accident and dipped its massive wings in a salute to those who perished.

It appears from witness accounts that the plane made a normal approach to the runway but the pilot then revved the engines, made a steep climb and another circuit. When it made a second approach, a wing hit the ground and the main fuselage broke up leaving only the tail intact. There were 44 police officers and 42 ambulances on site. The local bobby cut a pathway through the hedgerows to allow the emergency service vehicles through and the Salvation Army were soon on the scene offering invaluable support. Long may we remember the victims, all those they left behind and all those who tried to help them.

Ireland v Wales touch flag, presented to WRU President, Sir David Rocyn Jones at the post match function (WRM-0269)


Telegram from Sir Williams Tyrell, Vice President of the Irish RFU to Sir David Rocyn Jones, President of the WRU	Telegram from the Irish RFU to Sir David Rocyn Jones, President of the WRU	Photograph of the team which played against Scotland in the previous match.