Prior to the clash Westgate Street was overrun by fans who rushed at the gates, which had been closed two hours before the kick off. The police were overwhelmed and the fire brigade was called from the station just opposite the Arms Park. They hosed the crowd, after having cleared water off the pitch.
The ground capacity was broken and the attendance figure was probably close to 70,000, with fans standing around the touchlines, as had happened in the disorderly 1923 FA Cup Final at Wembley. Referee Cyril Gadney of England had great trouble getting into the ground after a steward told him: “We’ve had three referees here already!”
Ireland were going for their first Triple Crown in thirty-seven years, while a win for Wales would have given them the Championship. A penalty by fullback Vivian Jenkins was the only score, coming after twenty minutes when Michael Sayers, an Ireland forward, was penalised for not playing the ball after a tackle.
In the closing minutes Ireland fly half Victor Hewitt had a chance to win the match with a drop goal (then worth four points) but the wind took the ball outside the posts.
Willie Davies, Swansea’s nineteen-year-old fly half, was chosen at centre after Claude Davey had withdrawn due to a leg injury. Davies, the cousin of scrum half Haydn Tanner, switched successfully to Bradford Northern Rugby League club in 1939.
