Game 1
Wales 17 lost to Ireland 24
Triangular Series 1999 Game 1 |
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Match URL | www.rugbyleagueproject.org/matches/14986 | |||||||
Status | Completed | |||||||
Date | Friday, 15th October, 1999 | |||||||
Referee | Nick Oddy (Halifax) | |||||||
Venue | Vetch Field (Swansea) | |||||||
Crowd | 812 | |||||||
Match Stats | ||||||||
Halftime Score | 7 | – | 14 | |||||
Penalties | 10 | – | 12 | |||||
Wales | Scoresheet | Ireland | ||||||
Damian GIBSON | T | Mick CASSIDY | ||||||
Martin PEARSON | Martin CROMPTON | |||||||
Steve THOMAS | Tommy MARTYN | |||||||
Martin PEARSON | 2 | G | 6 | Ian HERRON | ||||
Lee BRIERS | FG | |||||||
Richie EYRES | OFF | |||||||
Wales | Teams | Ireland | ||||||
Wes DAVIES [Wigan] |
1 | FB | 1 | Steve PRESCOTT [Hull] |
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Jason LEE | 2 | W | 2 | Ian HERRON [Gateshead] |
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Damian GIBSON [Halifax] |
3 | C | 3 | Richard SMITH | ||||
Steve THOMAS | 4 | C | 4 | Rob SMYTH [London] |
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Lenny WOODARD | 5 | W | 5 | Mark FORSTER [Warrington] |
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Martin PEARSON [Sheffield] |
6 | FE | 6 | Tommy MARTYN [St Helens] |
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Lee BRIERS [Warrington] |
7 | HB | 7 | Martin CROMPTON (c) [Salford] |
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Craig MAKIN [Salford] |
8 | FR | 8 | Terry O'CONNOR [Wigan] |
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Gareth PRICE [St Helens] |
9 | HK | 9 | Johnny LAWLESS [Sheffield] |
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Neil COWIE (c) [Wigan] |
10 | FR | 10 | Jamie MATHIOU [Leeds] |
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Chris MORLEY [Salford] |
11 | 2R | 11 | Paul SOUTHERN [Salford] |
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Richie EYRES | 12 | 2R | 12 | Mick CASSIDY [Wigan] |
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Karle HAMMOND [London] |
13 | L | 13 | Bernard DWYER [Bradford] |
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Barry EATON | 14 | B | 14 | Brian CARNEY [Gateshead] |
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Ian WATSON | 15 | B | 15 | Neil HARMON [Bradford] |
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Paul HIGHTON [Salford] |
16 | B | 16 | Liam BRETHERTON [Wigan] |
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David LUCKWELL | 17 | B | 17 | Dave BRADBURY [Salford] |
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Clive GRIFFITHS | HC | Steve O'NEILL | ||||||
Team Info
Wales
- Previous Game:
- [no comp] - vs. England
- Next Game:
- Triangular Series 1999 - Game 2 vs. Scotland
- Out:
- Paul Atcheson (fullback), Jason Critchley (wing), Daio Powell (centre), Anthony Sullivan (wing), Iestyn Harris (five-eighth), Kelvin Skerrett (front row), Keiron Cunningham (hooker), Dean Busby (second row), Gareth Stephens (bench), Martin Hall (bench), Rowland Phillips (bench)
- In:
- Wes Davies (fullback), Jason Lee (wing), Steve Thomas (centre), Lenny Woodard (wing), Craig Makin (front row), Gareth Price (hooker), Chris Morley (second row), Barry Eaton (bench), Ian Watson (bench), Paul Highton (bench), David Luckwell (bench)
- Changes:
- Martin Pearson (bench to five-eighth)
Ireland
- Previous Game:
- European Tri Nations Championship 1998 - Game 1 vs. Scotland
- Next Game:
- Triangular Series 1999 - Game 3 vs. Scotland
- Out:
- Gary Connolly (centre), Barrie McDermott (front row), Andy Burgess (lock), Lee Child (bench), Cliff Eccles (bench), Conor O'Sullivan (bench), Innes Gray (bench)
- In:
- Ian Herron (wing), Rob Smyth (centre), Jamie Mathiou (front row), Paul Southern (second row), Bernard Dwyer (lock), Liam Bretherton (bench), Dave Bradbury (bench)
- Changes:
- Brian Carney (wing to bench), Neil Harmon (second row to bench)
Match Report
A three-match tournament between Wales, Ireland and Scotland was given little publicity and this led to very low crowds throughout the entire competition. Wales kicked off the Lincoln Financial Group Triangular Challenge with a home game against Ireland, to be played at the Vetch Field in Swansea, home of many marvellous Welsh nights out coupled with large crowds in the early half of the decade.
But how things had changed. On arriving at the ground early to avoid the heavy traffic on the atrocious old link road that used to be the only major access route into Swansea, supporters wondered if they had picked the wrong day as no-one seemed to be around. Local pubs didn‟t know there was a game on, but there was a poster in the football club shop. "We‟d have put posters up if people had given us some," local traders said.
There didn‟t seem to be much in the local press before or after the game and the national rugby league media were all sunning themselves down-under watching Great Britain being humiliated in the Tri-Nations. Even Sky Sports, who had loyally followed Wales throughout the decade, had lost interest and decided not to give any airtime to the tournament.
As a result, just 812 people turned up on that Friday night in October, Wales‟s lowest ever international crowd and a record that will probably never be broken, to see a 24-17 loss to a strong Irish side who were building towards the 2000 World Cup.
Missing key players such as Iestyn Harris, Keiron Cunningham and Anthony Sullivan, who were all on Lions duty, Clive Griffiths gave seven youngsters their international debuts, the most notable being St Helens' Hendy-born prop Gareth Price. He won the first of his 11 Welsh caps to date as well as Lenny Woodard, who alongside Price, played for Celtic Crusaders in their inaugural season in 2006.
When Richie Eyres was sent off just 10 minutes into the game, the odds were stacked against Wales. Debutant Steve Thomas, who almost signed for Celtic Crusaders in 2008 and would have done had it not been for a contract issue with Neath RFC, scored Wales‟s opening try with Damian Gibson and Martin Pearson also crossing. Pearson kicked two goals with Lee Briers adding a one-pointer. "There were a lot more plusses than minuses in that game," Clive Griffiths commented after the match. "There was lot of pride and passion and lads like Steve Thomas, Gareth Price and Lenny Woodard will have only gained from it."
Source: WalesRL.co.uk
This match is a part of the following:
Contributions:
Cymru RL, Shawn Dollin, Andrew Ferguson