Ken Gray Jersey Series – Irish Jersey #1, 1963

The Match

Ken Gray was 25 when he made his Test debut, but he had only been playing prop for two seasons. In 1961 longtime Wellington prop Ivan Vodanovich retired so Gray switched from lock to loosehead, though he played tighthead in this Test.

Gray was considered a long shot for the Tests with one place at prop occupied by captain, Wilson Whineray, while Gray’s other rivals included Ian Clarke, a former captain.

The 1963-64 All Blacks had played thirteen matches on tour before the first international. Gray featured in six wins, impressing enough to earn his Test debut.

Indeed, Gray played in the 27-0 whitewash of London Counties, a win described by doyen sports writer Sir Terry McLean as the finest performance he had seen by the All Blacks.

Before the match, played in fine but cold conditions, captains Sir Wilson Whineray (All Blacks) and John Kelly (Ireland) met Eamon De Valera, President of the Irish Republic.

The All Blacks had outscored Ireland 52-9 in four previous internationals. Ireland hadn’t won a triple crown in 14 years.

The All Blacks pack quickly established ascendancy but following extreme pressure from the Irish loose forwards would concede the first try, ironically created by Mike English for John Fortune.

Control was regained six minutes before halftime and flanker Kel Tremain scored a determined try after a break from a scrum by lock Stan Meads.

The All Blacks were dominating the forward exchanges but rued missed chances. With a quarter remaining, they earned a scrum penalty, and fullback Don ‘The Boot’ Clarke made no mistake from 35 yards out.

There are conflicting accounts on the legitimacy of a possible Irish try. Centre Pat Casey broke towards the Old Wanderers’ corner, putting in a high cross-field kick. Flanker Eamon Maguire reacted first but was ruled to be offside.

 “We were going nuts,” said Alex Duggan (25 caps). “There was no doubt it was a score. The referee . . . was he Welsh?”

Sir Terry McLean reported in Willie Away – Wilson Whineary’s All Blacks 1963/64.

“In the event, the squeak was quite desperately narrow. It took a giant kick by Don Clarke to put the All Blacks ahead by the lowest possible margin. Late in the game the Irishmen swarmed upon the New Zealand goaline, and had not a forward among them impetuously knocked the ball on, nothing could have saved the goal and nothing then could have saved New Zealand.”

McLean noted “great qualities in the play of Colin Meads, Whineray, (Dennis) Young, Gray and Tremain.

Patrick Dwyer

The jersey on display belongs to Patrick Dywer, born on May 24, 1940, in Clonee, Galway. He is a product of the University College Club, Dublin. UCD was founded in 1910 and is most famous for producing Ireland’s most-capped player, Brian O’Driscoll (141 Tests, 47 tries, 82 wins).

Dwyer played his club rugby for Connacht. During the amateur era, Irish players primarily played for their respective clubs, with provincial games effectively treated as Irish trial matches. The provincial teams were also used to provide competitive club opposition for touring international sides.

Beginning in the 1946–47 season, the provinces played against each other in the annual IRFU Interprovincial Rugby Championship. Despite a smaller playing base than the bigger clubs Connacht won that competition with Dwyer as a player in 1965.

Dwyer battled manfully but not memorably against Gray and the All Blacks. Fellow prop Ray McLoughlin who toured New Zealand with the British and Irish Lions in 1966 and 1971 enjoyed a more distinguished career. When McLoughlin retired in 1975, he held the record for most Irish Test caps with 40.

Still, Dywer played five internationals, the most famous of which was the “Hangover Match” in 1962 against Wales.

The title had nothing to do with drinking but was described in that way because the game had to be postponed from its March date to 17 November 1962 because of an outbreak of smallpox in the Rhondda.

There were 19 deaths and 900,000 people were vaccinated after a traveler from Pakistan, Shuka Mia, arrived in Cardiff in January 1962 and was diagnosed with the disease.

There were six deaths in the Llantrisant and Rhondda areas and 13 in Bridgend. As well as a massive vaccination programme, there was a huge operation mounted to trace contacts and contain the outbreak. It all sounds eerily familiar to the Covid era.

Lansdowne Road was only two-thirds full for the match because of a biting, gale-force wind. It took a second-half penalty from debutant fullback back Grahame Hodgson to equal Mick English’s first-half drop goal to ensure the game ended in a 3-3 draw.

After retiring, Dwyer served as an administrator and coach for Connacht, becoming the first national selector from his province and serving Ireland throughout the 80s where their results were much better than in his own playing tenure. Ireland won the Six Nations in 1982, 1983 and 1985.

Today Dwyer is 84 years old.

Dwyer’s Test Appearances

November 17, 1962: Wales, Lansdowne Road, Dublin, 3-3

January 26, 1963: France,  Lansdowne Road, Dublin, 5-19

December 7, 1963: New Zealand, Lansdowne Road, Dublin, 6-5

February 22, 1964: Scotland, Lansdowne Road, Dublin, 3-6

March 7, 1964: Wales, Lansdowne Road, Dublin, 6-15