Wales’ match against Ireland at The Gnoll in Neath on Saturday, 25th October (kick-off 3pm) will be the 100th encounter between the two countries at any international level.
Ten of those are senior men’s games. Our first encounter in 1999 at Swansea’s old Vetch Field in a Celtic Cup ended in an Ireland win, but we won five of the following nine clashes. We last met in Wrexham in 2018 on a memorable day which saw us qualify for the 2021 World Cup, which was eventually delayed by a year.
But it all started back in the 1989 Student World Cup, the first competitive matches for both ours and Ireland’s Students, where we beat 48-12 in York in the competition’s fifth-place play-off match. That was the first of 29 matches between our two Students sides, with Wales winning 24 of them, including a 32-0 win for us earlier this year.
Wales Rugby League’s head of performance, Clive Griffiths, could be the only person to be at game numbers 1 and 100, as he coached Wales Students back in 1989. He was also head coach of Wales men when they faced Ireland in Swansea ten years’ later.
Griffiths said: “The first one obviously was ground-breaking. I remember it very well because it was the first Student World Cup that we were both in. We played Ireland for fifth place, which at our very first World Cup, wasn’t a bad achievement, to get a group of rugby union boys together playing rugby league in a short period of time.
“So, it was a start of something really exciting for our students, and obviously Wales against Ireland has been a fixture in our calendar for ever since, not just with students but with all forms of rugby league.
“This Saturday starts a new era for the Welsh side. We’re grateful for our stalwarts like Elliot Kear and Rhys Williams for setting the example over the years. They’ve been fantastic ambassadors, but now it’s a new breed coming through that we have to put the faith in as we look towards the 2030 World Cup.
“They’ll be up against it because there’s a lot of Super League boys that I’m sure will be in the Ireland team, but I think the thing to look forward to is the freshness and a new beginning as we strive to keep that pathway going.
“I do feel that it’s going to be a committed affair. I hope the weather is good because there’s some good athletes on both sides and everybody wants to see some flowing rugby league.
“It’s a landmark game and number 100 between Wales and Ireland tells us a lot about both countries hanging in there against all the odds.”
In a breakdown of the other 60 matches between Wales and Ireland, our women’s sides have met three times, with two Wales wins and one for Ireland.
We’ve met at both wheelchair and men’s community level 16 times, with coincidentally the same stats for each – 15 Wales wins, five for Ireland, and one draw.
No other draws have been recorded at any other level, apart from in Masters, where the two sides have met nine times. Final scores aren’t kept in these over-35 matches; these are purely social encounters, but caps are awarded.
Our junior boys’ sides have met a few times over the years. We lost the first two encounters at U18 level but won the next eight, whilst at U16 level, we have a one-hundred percent record, winning five out of five. We also had a one-off U17 international against a Republic of Ireland side, which we won.
So, it’s on to meeting number 100 between Wales and Ireland in rugby league on Saturday, 25th October, kick-off 3pm. Make sure you’re there early to support our Wales A side (different to the Dragonhearts) as they take on the UK Armed Forces (kick-off noon).
You can also enjoy hospitality with some of the stars of the 1995 Welsh squad, as we look back at that famous World Cup 30 years on, with Dai Bishop in-house to sign copies of his new autobiography.
Go to wrl.wales/tickets to buy today. There are family deals available, with hospitality and entrance for both matches priced at only £45.
