IRA threats against British rugby teams in 1972?

The Scientician

"Scotland and Wales both cancelled matches in Dublin against Ireland because of terrorist threats from the IRA."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/1193077.stm

It's probably hard to say conclusively whether this actually happened or not but does anyone have any more information on it?

Did the IRA ever own up to it?

Was it the work of pranksters?

MarchDub

The Scientician wrote: »

"Scotland and Wales both cancelled matches in Dublin against Ireland because of terrorist threats from the IRA."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/1193077.stm

It's probably hard to say conclusively whether this actually happened or not but does anyone have any more information on it?

Did the IRA ever own up to it?

Was it the work of pranksters?

I remember the time - I think there were threatening letters sent or something. AFAIK the Five Nations championship was not completed because of the cancelled matches. Not sure if anything was ever proved about the threat. It was an emotive time - 1972 was the height of it all with Bloody Sunday etc.

The next year in spite of the same situation with the England team they did come to Dublin and got a huge standing ovation from the crowd. Ireland won - I don't remember the score - but the English Captain said afterwards something like 'well, we're not very good but at least we show up'.

Fratton Fred

MarchDub wrote: »

I remember the time - I think there were threatening letters sent or something. AFAIK the Five Nations championship was not completed because of the cancelled matches. Not sure if anything was ever proved about the threat. It was an emotive time - 1972 was the height of it all with Bloody Sunday etc.

The next year in spite of the same situation with the England team they did come to Dublin and got a huge standing ovation from the crowd. Ireland won - I don't remember the score - but the English Captain said afterwards something like 'well, we're not very good but at least we show up'.

I have heard the same from quite a few people and they all say that that is why a lot of Irish rugby fans have a closer affinity to the English team than the Scots or the Welsh.

JustinDee

Fratton Fred wrote: »

I have heard the same from quite a few people and they all say that that is why a lot of Irish rugby fans have a closer affinity to the English team than the Scots or the Welsh.

Not really.
Irish rugby supporters 'affinity' towards Scotland or Wales hasn't changed because of any of this.
Its just appreciated that England came over during that time, thats all.

Snickers Man

I remember it so well.

Ireland went to Paris (yes Paris. it was the last match in the old Stade Colombes) for the first match of the season with five new caps and beat France away for the first time in 20 years. And the last for another 28.

That was on 29th January 1972. The following day in Derry an anti-internment march ended with the shooting dead by paratroopers of 13 people. Bloody Sunday.

The country went ballistic. The world condemned Britain's actions. The old British Embassy in Merrion Square was torched. There was a surge of anti-British sentiment in Ireland along with some mad talk of invading the North and pushing the British out of Derry and Newry.

Ireland were due to play England at Twickenham two weeks later. The team had a strong Ulster presence with five players from the province on the team: Ken Kennedy, Willie John McBride, Mike Gibson and two of the new caps Stewart McKinney and Wallace McMaster.

The match went ahead with Ireland snatching a dramatic last minute winner, but it had been disrupted shortly after the start with some people wandering on to the pitch and standing in mute protest that such frivolity should be taking place in the capital city of the enemy before the bodies of those murdered in Derry were cold in their graves.

With Ireland half way to a Grand Slam and Scotland and Wales due to visit Lansdowne Road the tension ratcheted up. At least one of the Scottish team, Billy Steele the future Lion, was a serviceman. He was employed by the RAF. There were genuine fears for his safety.

Ditto for the Welsh team who also had one or two players employed directly by Her Majesty's forces.

In the end, neither team came to Dublin and for the first time that century, World Wars excepted, the Five Nations was not completed.

Whether or not there had been direct threats made against the players in question has never been adequately proven. But there is no doubt it was a particularly tense time. The graph of violent deaths in Northern Ireland per year went off the scale in 1972. It started with Bloody Sunday and went on through Bloody Friday, Operation Motorman, the Claudy massacre and the start of the Loyalist assassination gangs getting up and running with a vengeance.

Nearly 500 people, out of the total of 3,000 who died in 30 years of trouble, were killed that year.

CDfm

I seem to remember hearing years backthat the Irish team wanted to cancel and members of the English team felt it would have been a mistake given the non-sectarian ethos of the game. Phone calls exchanged etc and I heard this from an unimpeachable source and would be surprised if it isn't in the public domain.

Corsendonk

CDfm wrote: »

I seem to remember hearing years backthat the Irish team wanted to cancel and members of the English team felt it would have been a mistake given the non-sectarian ethos of the game. Phone calls exchanged etc and I heard this from an unimpeachable source and would be surprised if it isn't in the public domain.

I heard something similiar in a documentary on Irish Rugby. The no show of Scotland and Wales didn't go down well with some of the Irish players.

pedroeibar1

Another 1972 victim of the 'Troubles' was the Circuit of Ireland Rally organized by the Ulster Automobile Club. It was cancelled at very short notice following several warnings that rocks would be thrown at competitors' cars.
P.

The Scientician

Snickers Man, just posting to thank you for a beautifully written and informative post.